


Being Human - JatP Edition

by Black_Dwarf



Series: The Art of Being Human [1]
Category: Being Human (UK), Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Being Human (UK) Fusion, Alternative Universe - Being Human, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Artwork added for Chapter 10, Beta Wanted, Bisexual Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Family Feels, Fan art would be awesome!, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Julie Molina/Flynn - Freeform, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 28,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27549853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Black_Dwarf/pseuds/Black_Dwarf
Summary: A ghost, a vampire and a werewolf move in together. Sound familiar? Well in this Being Human (UK) inspired AU our ghost boys are housemates of a different supernatural variety. Or at least some of them are ;)
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Luke Patterson/Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Luke Patterson/Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms)
Series: The Art of Being Human [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2059386
Comments: 224
Kudos: 252





	1. Things That Go Bump in the Night

**Author's Note:**

> So the plot bunnies were pestering me again and this is what they came up with.  
> I never actually watched the US remake of Being Human so all my knowledge of the show's lore comes from watching the UK iteration. For now I'm only using the concept and perhaps a few characteristics of the original trio- Annie, George and Mitchell for this AU. 
> 
> Unlike my other stories this one is a real WIP, meaning that I haven't actually developed all of the plot in advance before posting. As such I'm not sure exactly where this will be going and have hence decided to use the CNtW tag for this. I will still try to warn as much as humanly possible but as this story develops I can't exactly be sure where we will be ending up. Also, I do not have a Beta for this (yet) so if you find any mistakes let me know. 
> 
> If anyone wishes to read this but isn't sure about possible triggers you can reach out to me at dp_dwarf@gmx.net and I will give you as many details as you need to find out whether this is suitable for you.
> 
> For everyone else feeling adventurous just know that here (might) be dragons...

* * *

Dark clouds hung in the night sky. Behind them the pale moon shone dimly, barely illuminating the pavement and the deserted street beyond. On the empty sidewalk a lone figure was walking hurriedly, casting nervous glances over their shoulder. The figure, a young man with dark hair, dressed in a black leather jacket, blue jeans and cowboy boots, picked up his pace as he came upon an intersection. It was late, coming upon eleven o’clock and there was nobody around this part of town at this hour. The young man –Reggie– cursed himself for still being outside so late. He didn’t feel very comfortable at night. But it had been a busy day at the diner and since his colleague Marcus had called in sick again (t _he lazy bastard_ ) the responsibility to clean and close up shop had fallen entirely on him. He hurried onwards and turned left at the crosswalk. Reggie hated that his tiny flat was so far from his workplace, but it was really all he could afford at present. 

Suddenly he heard a scraping noise from out of a dark alley that opened up to his right. Was he imagining it or was there movement in the shadows? _Probably just a raccoon,_ he tried to calm his nerves. Nothing to worry about. _Just get a move on_. But Reggie couldn’t really help it. Ever since that fateful night about a year ago –the animal attack that had nearly left him for dead– he just couldn’t handle being alone in the dark. Well _animal_ was probably not the right term, he thought miserably. _Monster_ was certainly much more fitting.

There was the noise again, and this time it was unmistakable. The sound of something sharp scratching over stone. Suddenly a voice rang out. 

“Oi wolf boy! What are you doing out so late at night? All by your lonesome?” 

Reggie froze on the spot, then slowly turned and faced his opponent. Or rather opponents as he realized, once his eyes had adjusted to the dimm light in the alley.

Three guys stood within a few meters from the alley’s entrance. They were still partially obscured by shadows but Reggie was able to make out the details. Sometimes his heightened senses were an advantage. They were all dressed in black biker jackets. And something was off about the way they smelled. The odour of rotten eggs, fresh blood and damp mouldy earth hung in the air and it was making his stomach turn. 

The guy who had addressed him, clearly the leader of their little posse, slowly advanced, his goons following right behind him. Reggie noticed now that he was carrying something in his hand. A big chain. Belatedly his fight or flight instinct kicked in. Unfortunately said instinct seemed to be unable to come to a decision as to which was the appropriate response so he remained glued to the spot, petrified. 

“Going to make it easy for us, are you wolfie? Very well, stay right there.” The guy to the leader’s right spoke up. He grinned at Reggie, revealing a set of yellowed teeth. Reggie couldn’t help but notice the elongated pointy fangs. At least that’s what they looked like. But that was impossible, right? _What is this fresh hell?_ , he thought desperately. He had heard about people filing their teeth for dramatic effect, so that’s probably what this was. It had to be. And really, these guys were scary enough as regular people. He didn’t need his brain to conjure up added nonsense to make these apparitions even more terrifying. Another thought crossed Reggie’s mind. They had called him _wolf,_ twice now. _How could they possibly know?_

“Nice of you to oblige,” the guy on the left now chimed in as well. “We promise to make it quick. Well, maybe..”

Suddenly realization hit him like a bucket of ice water. This wasn’t just a dangerous situation. _It was deadly_. These guys weren’t here to mug him. They wanted to _kill_ him. As comprehension dawned Reggie finally regained his ability to move. He turned on the spot and ran. Behind him the group erupted into laughter. 

“That’s what I’m talking about, boys.” Reggie heard the leader’s voice echoing behind him. “Let’s hunt this doggie down.” 

Reggie didn’t dare to look back to see how fast they were advancing. Just kept running at full speed, summoning up any strength he could muster. Pure Adrenaline was propelling him forward. He didn’t care where he was going. Had lost any sense of orientation and was consumed by only one thought: _Escape!_

Unfortunately Reggie’s luck was about to run out. As he turned a corner into another alley, he came upon a large chain-link fence blocking his way. The top of the fence was covered with barbed wire. But even if he would have somehow found the strength to mount the fence at the risk of impaling himself, a quick glance back showed that it was already too late. His three pursuers had entered the alley, blocking any path to escape. He was trapped. _He was dead._ As the guys were slowly advancing, taking their sweet time by the looks of it, Reggie stepped backwards until his back hit the fence. So this was it? He’d survived the wolf attack and even come to terms with what came after. And this was how it would end?

 _Maybe,_ a small part in his brain tried to reason, _maybe it’s for the best, really_. His life had been turned upside down, all his prospects dashed, once he had realized what that attack had turned him into. What chance at normalcy would he ever have had given his condition? But the thing was, he didn’t want to die. Not like this. Not here and _not now._ Reggie looked around desperately for a means of escape, or at least a weapon to defend himself with. But there was nothing.

“Why?” His whisper was barely audible but his attackers seemed to have heard him well enough as they halted and looked at each other, grinning.

“You see,” the leader said. “Your kind and ours, we just don’t get along. Nothing personal wolfie. But we can’t just let you go.” 

_Our kind_ , Reggie‘s mind was reeling. So he had been right. _Fuck, this might as well happen,_ he thought savagely. Reggie was resigned to his fate now and a sense of calm washed over him. There was no escape but he would give these assholes a hell of a fight. He wouldn’t go down that easily. Full moon or not they messed with the wrong guy. 

His bravado lasted all of five seconds. Then the group moved as one and advanced on him again. And he realized that he was hopelessly outmatched. He didn’t know the first thing about their kind, _vampires._ (It still sounded insane, but then so did _werewolf_ ). But if any of the stories were even remotely true he didn’t stand a chance. Not against one, let alone three.

“Well, I hate to intrude but this seems kind of unfair. How about we even the odds?”

A new voice had spoken up behind the three guys that were still coming towards him. A dark figure stood at the end of the street, clad in a long leather coat. A street lamp, directly overhead, illuminated the stranger’s pale face. The newcomer had short brown hair, bright eyes and a mischievous smile. The biker crew stopped in their tracks. 

Their leader turned around and faced the new arrival.

“This is none of your business Lukas!” he hissed, gripping his chain tighter. 

“Oh,” the one called Lukas replied. “I think I’d very much like to make it my business. Or you could just grow a brain and scram. Whichever you prefer.” He sounded amused and was studying his fingertips as if this whole situation really didn’t need his full attention. It was an epic power move and Reggie was really impressed _and a little turned on._ And it seemed to have left quite an impression on Reggie’s would-be attackers as well. They stood frozen in the middle of the alley, radiating uncertainty. 

But Reggie wasn’t that concerned with them at the moment. He was transfixed by the stranger’s appearance. Lukas was mesmerizing and Reggie couldn’t quite deal with how his body was responding to his presence. What exactly was wrong with him? Here he was in the middle of the night, cornered in an alley about to be sent to his maker (or wherever things like him ended up) and all he could think about was the hot guy that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere to come to his aid. _Focus Reggie_ , he chided himself. _You’re about to be murdered. Now is really not the time to develop a crush._

He noticed that Lukas stance had shifted, almost imperceptibly, as if he was readying himself for a fight. Apparently that was the last incentive these guys needed. They took one last look at Reggie, baring their fangs and then took off as fast as inhumanly possible. Leaving Reggie to stare at the spot that they had just vacated, his mouth slightly agape.

“Hey Kid, you’re alright?” Reggie noticed with a start that Lukas stood right in front of him. He hadn’t even heard him approaching. 

_Kid?_ Reggie didn’t exactly love that moniker. Lukas didn’t look a day older than Reggie himself and he was twenty-five for crying out loud. 

“I’m fine,” came his short curt reply but he regretted it instantly. Reggie really didn’t want to sound ungrateful, given that this guy had just saved him from certain death.

“So what’s your name? Or should I just keep calling you Kid?” Lukas was grinning now, clearly not taking any offence at his abrasiveness.

 _Dear Lord, anything but that_. Reggie groaned inwardly. 

“My name is Reggie,” he replied, more warmly now. “And you’re Lukas, right? At least that’s what those goons called you?”

“Don’t call me Lukas, please,” his savior chuckled. “My name is Luke!”

* * *

  
  



	2. Great! You Bought Us the Shrieking Shack

**One Year Later**

“So what do you think?” Luke pushed his laptop towards Reggie and was looking at him expectantly.

“I’m thinking this is way too cheap. Where’s the catch?” Reggie studied the real estate website which was currently open in the browser window and read through the description of the house that Luke had pointed out to him. “I mean an entire house, in Hollywood no less. It should cost about ten times as much.” 

“According to the realtor’s description it’s not exactly in perfect condition.” Luke replied.

“Even so. Shouldn’t be this cheap.” Reggie responded, thoughtfully. “But it looks suitable, I guess. Still, it’s a lot of money. Are you sure about this?” They hadn’t really talked much about money but seeing as it hardly ever seemed a problem for Luke he guessed the vampire was loaded. Which was further evidenced by the fact that Luke had just bought them a house, without even checking it out first. Well, saving up for who knew how many years would probably do the trick, Reggie mused. 

“I think it will be perfect!” Luke exclaimed happily, interrupting his thoughts.

“Well, as long as you’re sure. You’re the one paying for it after all.” Reggie hesitated briefly, then a huge grin spread across his face. “And since we’re going to move in together I think it’s finally time you told me your real age.” 

“Not this again,” Luke groaned. “I’ve already tried to explain it to you. When you suddenly have eternity, time becomes meaningless. As does any concept of age.”

“Says the really old dude,” Reggie teased. “So you’re what...200?”

“Reggie!”

“300?”

“For the last time Reginald–” Luke sighed exasperatedly.

“Don’t call me that!” Reggie interrupted him annoyed. “That’s almost worse than _Kid_. And I don’t want you to call me _that_ either!” 

“Well if you don’t want to be called Kid, then stop acting like one.” Luke huffed, crossing his arms and giving Reggie the stink-eye. 

“Yeah yeah Mr. Grumpy” Reggie responded and shot a mischievous smile in Luke’s direction. “Or should I call you grandpa?”

“Well, great-great-great-great-times four– grandpa, if you want to get technical. But I’d rather you didn’t.” Luke replied, rolling his eyes.

Reggie stared at the ceiling in intense concentration, trying to figure out the math, but then he gave up and just shrugged. 

Luke clearly took this as a sign of concession. “Very good. You should always respect your elders.”

He shot Reggie one of his 1000-watt smiles and Reggie felt momentarily distracted by the less than pure thoughts that it conjured up. None of which he was prepared to disclose to his friend. Reggie thought that he was becoming really good at the whole hiding his crush thing. And it had only taken him a year. Secretly he marveled at the fact that despite his quite obvious blunders in the early days Luke remained completely oblivious to how Reggie felt about him. At least as far as Reggie was aware. Luke wasn’t exactly easy to read. Briefly Reggie wondered whether moving together with Luke was really such a good idea after all. But he had already agreed to it and there was no going back on that now. So for better or worse they would be moving to California at the end of the month. Reggie had already given notice at his workplace. It was all said and done. _Los Angeles here we come._

* * *

“Look at this dump!” Reggie exclaimed and gestured towards their new home. “That’s not the house they advertised. This is a scam!” The house, or rather creaky old manor, that had fallen into intense disrepair, was situated at the end of a long road, surrounded by trees. Around the house, which must have been beautiful at some point, nature had taken hold. Vines were covering large parts of the walls and even some of the windows. The path leading up to the entrance was completely overgrown. The next door neighbors were at least half a mile away.

“I mean it needs some work but I’m sure we can make do,” Luke replied, studying the surrounding area. “And it’s really far away from prying eyes, which is always a plus.

“It probably doesn’t even have running water.” Reggie was pouting now. “You do realize I’m not dead and need the occasional shower, yes? I hope there was a money-back option.”

“We’re staying.” Luke had spoken with finality then he stepped through the iron gate and walked up to the entrance. 

Reggie gave a long suffering sigh. “I guess I’ve had worse,” he muttered and followed Luke up the path to the house.

* * *

As Reggie stepped through the door the intense smell of mould and decay filled his nostrils and he started to gag. He sometimes hated the fact that his sense of smell had been permanently enhanced. There weren’t nearly enough good smells to counterbalance all the stink that one had to deal with when living in the city. He looked around the house. Some of the windows were boarded up and the inside was just as gloomy as the outside had suggested. Every surface was covered in dust. _Marvelous,_ he thought. _Maybe it’s not too late to suggest camping instead?_ What was Luke thinking, wanting to live here? And where exactly had he gotten to? He couldn’t see his friend anywhere. 

Suddenly Luke emerged from one of the rooms adjacent to the main entrance, with a triumphant smile on his face. “There’s running water and electricity!” 

“Awesome,” Reggie quipped. “That makes this place at least five percent more inhabitable. I think we have a winner here.” Luke’s face fell but he didn’t say anything else and Reggie was on a roll now. “If you’d wanted to live in the Shrieking Shack so badly you should have at least given me advanced warning.” Upon seeing his friend’s blank stare Reggie tried to clarify. “Shrieking Shack? As in Harry Potter?” Apparently that didn’t ring a bell. “Seriously Luke, have you been living under a rock all these years?” 

Luke gave him his best sad puppy dog expression. “I guess if you hate it so much we can always try to find something else.” 

Suddenly Reggie felt like a real asshole. This place, despite its desolate state, had still cost Luke a fortune. There was no way Reggie would ever be able to pay him back. Staying in anything bigger than a shoebox wasn’t really an option on his salary. 

“I’m sorry,” he shot an apologetic look in Luke’s direction. “You’re right, it’s going to be perfect. Just needs a little work.” Secretly he thought that it would probably take years to clean the place up but he chose not to voice that thought.

* * *

To Reggie’s great surprise it only took them the better part of the day to make at least the living room and kitchen inhabitable again. They had freed the surfaces from cobwebs, dusted off the large old fashioned sofa and Luke had even found a functioning vacuum cleaner in the cellar so the carpet was relatively clean now as well. 

“So I guess we’ll sleep here tonight?” He looked at Luke questioningly. 

“Yeah, makes sense.” Luke replied. “The sofa is big enough for the two of us.”

Reggie felt himself blushing and quickly looked away. _Damn._ He hadn’t thought this through.He was desperately trying to come up with a better option to suggest but his mind remained unhelpfully blank. There was no way he was going to share the sofa with his best friend without it being totally awkward. He should probably resign himself to the fact that he would get absolutely zero sleep that night. As usual, he was wrong. 

* * *

Reggie woke with a start. Luke had snuggled up close to him during the night and his left arm was draped over Reggie’s body. But that wasn’t what had woken him. A soft moan could be heard echoing through the house. Then a loud bang and a crash came from somewhere upstairs. As Reggie tried to get up, Luke moved in his sleep and pulled him closer. He tried to extract himself from his friend’s grip but the vampire was a lot stronger than him. There was nothing to be done but wake Luke up if he wanted to get to the bottom of this. _Waking up sleeping vampires_. _What could possibly go wrong?_ He was probably about to find out. 

“Hey!” He called into the darkness but Luke didn’t stir. “Wake up Luke. There’s someone in the house.” Reggie tried again, louder this time, but he received no response. The vampire would probably sleep through an angry villager attack, Reggie thought annoyed, finally resigning himself to the fact that he would have to do this the hard way. _Please don’t kill me._ He pulled his knees up and positioned his foot to the approximate height of where he assumed Luke’s knees to be. Then he kicked back. The reaction was instantaneous. The vampire shot wide awake and tumbled off the sofa, taking Reggie along with him. They ended up on the floor, with Reggie pinned to the ground, Luke on top of him. His friend’s eyes had turned black, his mouth was open in a snarl, exposing long sharp fangs. _This was a mistake_ , Reggie thought desperately. A shiver ran through his body as he became aware of just how dangerous this situation was.

“Luke! Calm down, it’s me!” He called out to his friend and to Reggie’s great relief it had the desired effect. Luke’s eyes slowly changed back to their natural color and as realization kicked in, his expression changed to one of surprise and then shock. 

“Reggie? What the hell! Are you insane?” Luke hurriedly pushed himself off the ground and stepped away from his friend who was still lying flat on his back. “I could have killed you! Don’t ever do that again.”

“Well, you left me no choice.” Reggie struggled off the ground. He chose not to ponder how close he’d gotten to getting his throat ripped out but to focus instead on what had prompted him to wake up Luke in the first place. “There’s someone in the house Luke. I heard them.” 

“Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?” Luke questioned but Reggie just shook his head in response. Luke’s expression grew thoughtful. “That may actually explain some things,” he said, quietly, almost as if to himself.

“Explain what exactly?” Reggie piped up. 

“The real-estate agent wouldn’t give me a straight answer as to why the house had been left unoccupied for so long. Said something about the previous owners being frightened away. But he made a big show of how ridiculous he thought it was. Seeing ghosts–”

“Ghosts?” Reggie interrupted. “I mean sure, the place looks haunted but I didn’t think ghosts were a thing.”

Luke raised his eyebrows at that. “You know werewolves and vampires are real but you’re drawing the line at ghosts?”

“Well, if you put it like that…”

“Let’s go have a look, shall well?” Luke turned and headed towards the staircase, Reggie right on his heels.

* * *

  
  



	3. A Hollywood Ghost Story

* * *

**Hollywood, 1995**

He’d always hated changes. And dying was certainly a big change. And yet Alex couldn’t exactly remember how it happened. One day he was fine, the next, he was also fine or at least that’s what he thought at first. It started innocuously, a phone call to a friend that wouldn’t go through. Then the little tells that showed him something was very _very_ wrong became harder to ignore. When he missed a step on the stairs and phased through to the cellar, Alex freaked. It took him hours to calm down but finally he admitted to himself that there was no other explanation- he was dead. _He was a ghost_.

Naturally the house and all his possessions went to his next of kin, in his case a cousin on his mother’s side. Both his parents had died years ago, leaving him the house and a considerable sum to live on. Alex had never been really close with his parents. Not after coming out to them had soured their relationship forever. But he still missed them. And he was wondering why he couldn’t have just moved on like everyone else instead of being stuck in the world, unable to connect, unable to talk to anybody.

A year later his home was sold to a middle-aged couple. He was a state attorney, she was a lawyer. They were nice enough, he supposed, but he didn’t want them in the house. This was his home. And honestly he hated their decorating choices and their less than progressive views. So Alex decided to teach them a lesson. He’d long since discovered that, while not being able to interact with living things, he could move objects around and even mess with the lights, if he concentrated hard. So that was what he did. Nights on end until the couple finally gave up and left the place. He did feel a little bad afterwards. 

The house remained empty for months, until it was once again sold. This time to a young couple with two kids. They seemed lovely and Alex so longed to interact with anyone. And he tried. Unfortunately, a ghostly presence that would pop up out of thin air, and the smell of baked goods wafting through the house at midnight wasn’t their idea of a good time so after only a few months the family packed up and left the house.

By then rumors had started to spread about the place and it became increasingly hard to sell it. Finally about another year later a group of friends, two guys and their girlfriends, decided to move in. They were up and coming actors and had read stories about the haunted house in Hollywood. So naturally they were curious and wanted to find out more. Alex didn’t really like them. The guys were pretty smug and he found the girls to be air-headed and a little bigotted. So he went back to his old tricks. Flickering lights, moaning and banging at night and the occasional ghost sighting just to keep things interesting. He could only remain visible for seconds and could never interact but it wasn’t really needed in this case. It had the desired effect and drove them from his home in less than two months. 

The real estate agent had started to panic. The property became increasingly hard to sell and the rumors about the haunting spread like wildfire. So he tried an exorcist, a couple of ghost hunters and finally a medium. With no success whatsoever. Alex couldn’t help but roll his eyes at all the nonsense the priest got into while trying to expel the _vile spirit_. Alex just remained calm and went to his room to read a book until the exorcism was finally over. He found the ghost hunters to be particularly annoying so he locked one in the cellar and one in the basement and gave them a light show. They ran from the place like it was on fire. The medium, an eldery lady, wasn’t actually that bad. For a second there he even thought she could actually see him. At least she seemed to know exactly who Alex was. But that was probably because not that many people had died in the house. In fact, it was just one- _him_. So when Alex realized that she was just a very good actress he was disappointed. He so wanted to talk to someone, anyone. 

Alex wondered who would move in next. Whether they would be nice or not and whether he should perhaps try to get along with them. Maybe he would finally find people to communicate with. But the stories regarding the house were now known all around Hollywood and the wider L.A. area and nobody was interested in buying the place anymore. And so the years went by, the house falling further and further into decay. And Alex kept waiting. And the house kept decaying. And for years he was alone.

Until one day when he found two young guys cuddling on his sofa in the middle of the night. He hadn’t even noticed they were there. As the years went by he’d lost sense of time and kept flickering in and out, losing days at a time where he wasn’t aware of anything. Didn’t need to be as nothing ever seemed to be happening. So he hadn’t actually been aware that the house had been sold once again. And Alex wondered who these new housemates were. He was a little annoyed that they had apparently just snuck in without making their presence known. Perhaps they weren’t even the new owners but trespassers, squatters who had decided to take up residence. He looked around the house and for the first time in years noticed just how run down and decrepit his once beautiful home had become. He wanted it to find a good family. People that would make it what it used to be. So he decided to find out who these guys were and what they planned to do. Whether they deserved his friendship or his wrath.

* * *

  
  



	4. How to Calm Down Ghosts and Befriend People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alex has actually been alone for 25 years and finally gets the hug he deserves.

* * *

“Are you sure about this?” Reggie questioned as he ascended the stairs behind Luke. “Maybe we should call someone?”

“Like who?” Luke replied with surprise in his voice.

“Dunno, the Ghostbusters?”

Luke couldn’t help but smile at that. “I’ll have you know that I actually understood that reference. But no, we’re not calling anybody. Ghosts are harmless, mostly. We’re not in any danger.”

“Says the undead superstrong vampire..” Reggie remarked drily, not the least bit convinced. At that Luke finally stopped and turned around. He took Reggie’s hands in his own and shot him a reassuring smile. 

“Just stay behind me, okay? If it turns out to be something dangerous, I’ll protect you.” 

Reggie nodded slowly, somewhat relieved. When Luke let go of his hands and turned back to mount the last remaining steps to the first floor Reggie felt disappointed at the loss of contact. He sighed then followed Luke upstairs. 

The banging had stopped but soft moaning could still be heard coming from one of the rooms further down the hallway. They slowly approached the door and stopped again. Luke turned once more towards Reggie who gave him a short nod. Then Luke turned the door handle and entered.

A young man sat on the large bed occupying the room. He had blonde hair and was dressed in a pink hoodie and black jeans. Upon noticing Luke’s presence the ghost, for that was clearly what he was, looked up and stared at him. Luke and Reggie, who had entered the room as well and now stood next to his friend, stared right back. 

“Hey there!” Luke addressed the ghost, speaking softly as not to startle him. “What’s your name?”

The ghost’s eyes widened, clearly surprised at being spoken to directly. 

“I’m Alex,” came the hesitant reply. “But who exactly are you? And how are you able to see me?” 

“Explaining all that might take a while.” Luke responded, slowly. “Why don’t we go back down? Have a talk?” 

At the invitation the young man slowly nodded and followed them outside.

* * *

Reggie and Luke were seated at the kitchen table and had been listening quietly while Alex, who was sitting across from them, told them his story. When he was finished silence filled the room. Until Reggie decided to speak up.

“I mean if you didn’t want to be alone maybe you shouldn’t have scared people away–Outch. What the hell was that for?” Luke had given him a dig with his elbow and Reggie shot him an annoyed look and massaged his ribs. “You know I speak the truth.” he muttered despondently. 

“Be quiet!” Luke gave Reggie a stern look and then focused his attention back on the ghost who was staring at the pair in amazement. “I’m sorry for my friend. Unfortunately tact is a skill he has yet to acquire.” 

But Alex just shook his head, with a sorrowful expression on his face. “I guess your friend has a point. I didn’t exactly help matters by driving everyone away. But even when I tried to be friendly they just ended up being scared. You’re the first people I’m able to communicate with.” He sighed deeply. “ It’s just been me for who knows how long... You know, I used to bake. When I was feeling stressed, I mean. But there’s nothing in the house now but empty cupboards. And I’m always stressed.” Alex said mournfully. 

“And you never left the house? In all these years?” Luke asked. He reached out slowly and took Alex’s hand in his. At the sight Reggie felt his insides burn with intense jealousy but he immediately felt ashamed. Luke was just trying to be supportive and this Alex was clearly starved for any kind of contact. He had been alone for so many years without anyone talking to, let alone touching him. And Luke had picked up on his needs, as was his way and one of the reasons Reggie admired his friend so much. 

“I didn’t know that was an option.” Alex replied softly. “I just always assumed I was stuck here. I vaguely remember trying to leave once, but I just ended up back at the house. And really, where would I even go? Nobody can see me...well except apparently you two. And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you still haven’t told me why.”

“Well, it’s a little hard to explain. You see–” Luke began slowly.

“I’m a werewolf, he’s a vampire.” Reggie interrupted and shrugged, then quickly moved to avoid another sharp elbow to the ribs, but he was too slow. “Ouch! Stop that! He’s a ghost. He’ll understand!”

“I can’t help but notice that you’re talking again Reginald. I thought I told you to be quiet.” Luke hissed back at his friend who stared at him in outrage. 

Alex gaped at them for a good ten seconds. Then he suddenly burst out laughing. “Okay, then don’t tell me.” He managed to say through fits of giggles. 

“Dude!” Reggie protested. “You’re dead and yet you’re still here. Why is believing in vampires and werewolves such a stretch?” He grinned sheepishly as Luke gave him the side-eye. Reggie was well aware that he himself had questioned the existence of ghosts just a short while ago. Didn’t matter. He never could resist a good repartee.

“Wait, you’re serious?” At that Alex sobered up instantly. “That’s really impossible.”

“Want some proof?” Reggie grinned at him. Then he looked over to Luke. “Why don’t you give him a demonstration?”

“I’m not your performing monkey!” Luke replied chagrined. Then he looked at Alex, his expression softening. “I can show you. But maybe it’s not necessary?” 

Belatedly Reggie realized that asking Luke to show his vampire side hadn’t been one of his brighter ideas. Luke must still be reeling from the close call they’d had earlier. He sometimes wondered why his mouth was so much faster than his brain. It tended to be a problem and he was well aware of that. 

“It’s okay, I guess I’ll just believe you guys.” Alex said, shrugging. “I mean I’m a ghost. Werewolves, vampires and all that other stuff might just as well exist.” 

“Other stuff?” Reggie piped up, nervously. “What other stuff is there Luke?”

Luke just shook his head at his friend, clearly not prepared to have _that_ conversation now. And Reggie was actually relieved at that. He certainly could go another day without knowing just how much other scary shit was out there. And really, they had more pressing issues to worry about. Like what to do with the anxious ghost boy that had showed up out of the blue. 

As if reading his thoughts Luke spoke up again. “So, Alex. What can we do for you?”

Alex just stared at him, evidently taken aback by the unexpected offer. 

“I don’t know. I mean I can’t move on. Would you...would you mind staying here? Knowing I’m in the house? I don’t want to be alone anymore--” 

His mouth quivered and he looked like he was about to cry. Reggie’s heart broke for him and so he did the only thing he could think of. He stood up, crossed the few steps to where Alex was sitting and hugged him tightly. A few seconds later, Luke had joined him, enveloping them both. It felt good and Reggie could have stayed like this forever. In Reggie’s arms, Alex shuddered, then tears began to fall freely from his face and he relaxed in both of their embraces. 

“We’ll stay. Of course we’ll stay.” Reggie whispered softly. “You don’t have to be alone again. Not ever.”

* * *

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is coming along nicely so I figured I'd post a second chapter today. I still have loads of ideas but updates may be coming more slowly over the next few days. Hope you continue to enjoy this and if you do, comments give me life :D
> 
> For those of you familiar with Series 4 of Being Human UK, I did steal the "not your performing monkey" line from Hal. And I'm not ashamed to admit it.


	5. The New Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is coming along faster than expected so I thought I'd give you guys another chapter.  
> I feel like I should point out a few things in advance, for those of you unfamiliar with Being Human UK and the show's lore with regards to vampirism and lycanthropy. 
> 
> In the show vampires did not need blood to survive but they craved it constantly. I don't plan to go to all the dark places that the show did but some of those themes will be explored in this story. I will keep warning in the chapter notes for anything that I think might be upsetting. But just keep in mind that this story overall will have a darker tone. And as always, if there is something you want to know in advance don't hesitate to reach out.

* * *

With their combined efforts it took them roughly another week to make the old manor inhabitable again. At least the rooms they were going to be occupying. It was coming upon fall and the leaves had turned into shades of yellow, orange and crimson. Alex loved this time of year and for the first time in ages he was in high-spirits. And it was all thanks to Luke and Reggie. They would spend the evenings cuddled up together and talking and Reggie kept trying to teach Luke and him about pop-culture. They had restocked the pantry and to Alex’s great delight included all kinds of baking utensils and ingredients. 

“Because you said baking makes you happy.” Reggie had said when they showed him and Alex was so overjoyed that he hugged him right then and there. That was another thing about his new friends. The open way they showed affection towards each other. Towards _him._ When he had come out to his parents in ‘93 it had been a big deal and after the reaction he received he had never dared to confide in anyone else. But either twenty-five years had changed things considerably or else Luke and Reggie were just special in that regard because when he told them about it, they just hugged him again and asked whether there was someone out there they should reach out to. A boyfriend, maybe? But there was nobody. Never had been, to his great disappointment. And now that he was dead that would likely never change. 

As the days went by he did start to wonder about the nature of Reggie’s and Luke’s relationship. Reggie was clearly smitten with the vampire and his attempts at hiding that fact were almost hilariously inept. And Alex was sure he had seen Luke stare at his friend with the same affection and longing in his eyes, whenever he could be sure that Reggie wasn’t looking. Still, Alex suspected there might be more to that story and he didn’t know them well enough yet to make a judgement. He just hoped they would figure it out eventually, or he may just have to intervene for both their sakes. 

Two weeks had passed since Luke and Reggie had joined the household. Alex sat on the couch in the living room, browsing through the library of one of the streaming services that Reggie had insisted on getting. Luke had bought them a TV set and Reggie had given Alex a list of things to watch. When the front door opened Alex looked up and saw Luke enter. But the vampire didn’t even notice him. He shot a quick glance towards the kitchen where Reggie was currently occupied with preparing dinner, then hurried up the stairs to his room. _Okay,_ _that was weird_ , Alex thought. Somehow he had a bad feeling about the whole thing so he got up from the sofa and followed Luke upstairs. He knocked on the door to Luke’s room and immediately entered. Luke sat on his bed with a startled expression on his face. He was hiding something behind his back. 

“I didn’t say you could come in!” Luke’s voice was much harsher than usual and for the first time Alex saw a glimpse of the darkness that Luke was usually so good at hiding. 

“I’m sorry!” Alex, put his hands up soothingly. “I just had the feeling something was up. Maybe something you want to talk about?”

Luke shook his head vigorously so Alex shrugged and made to leave the room again. When he turned, his eyes fell upon a leather case that had been shoved underneath the bed. The case was open and inside he could see several plastic bags filled with a red liquid. Luke’s eyes followed Alex’s trajectory. When he realized what Alex had seen his expression turned to one of dismay.

“Please don’t tell Reggie.” Luke whispered pleadingly.

“I don’t quite understand. What is this?” Alex gestured towards the case.

“I think you know the answer to that.” Luke replied softly, avoiding Alex’s searching eyes. “Don’t worry. I didn’t hurt anyone,” he hurriedly added. “These are from a blood bank. I--I have a supplier. I don’t normally need it, you know. Just, sometimes I’ll have some, to keep away the nightmares. It helps me forget.” 

Alex regretted that he had gotten involved. He should have realized that Luke consumed blood. He was a vampire after all. It was just that with the way Reggie and Luke acted around him, he tended to forget about that aspect of their nature. The demons that haunted them. 

“I’m sorry.” Alex apologized again. “It wasn’t my place to pry.”

“It’s okay.” Luke looked down at his hands. “I guess you have a right to know. I’m trying to stay off of it. For Reggie’s sake. He hates it when I drink blood, thinks that I’m playing with fire. Perhaps he’s right--”

Alex settled down on the bed, reached over and took Luke’s hand. 

“Whatever I can do for you, I will. And I won’t judge, okay?”

Luke smiled back at him gratefully. “Thank you, Alex. I’ll keep that in mind.”

* * *

“So let’s see--” Reggie was lying on the couch, his head resting in Luke’s lap and pestering his friend with questions about the supernatural world. “Do witches exist?”

Luke nodded slowly.

“Zombies?” Another slight nod of the head.

“Yikes. I was really hoping that would be a no.” Reggie’s face scrunched up in disgust. 

“Can we have some nice things at least. How about dragons?”

Luke grinned but shook his head. “Not to my knowledge, no.”

“That’s too bad. Unicorns?”

At that Luke burst out laughing. 

Unbeknownst to them Alex had been standing in the doorway to the kitchen and eying their exchange with a smile on his face. He really loved these two goofballs. And he would do anything in his power to keep his new family safe.

* * *

  
  



	6. Full Moon Rising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised here is the second chapter for today. Werewolf transformations aren't exactly a fun experience. So we'll get a little into that in this chapter. There will be nothing graphic though, just allusions to the transformation.
> 
> And I‘m diverting here from Being Human canon by making werewolves look like huge regular wolves instead of B-movie creatures.

* * *

“So that’s what you guys get up to when I’m not around? Kinky!”  
Alex stood in the doorway with crossed arms and a smug smile on his face.

“That’s not--we’re just friends!” Reggie blushed furiously, then got up from the floor and hurried past Alex without another glance back.

“Was it something I said?”

Luke sighed and got off the floor as well, dropping the chain in his hand in the process. “You really shouldn’t tease him about this.” he said with an uncharacteristically somber expression on his face. “This is a difficult subject for Reggie.” Luke gestured towards the set of chains that had been attached to the wall.

“Mind telling me what _this_ is exactly?” Alex wondered as he took in the full room. The walls had been padded, in order to make it soundproof. And from the chains that were still lying about it was clear that the set on the wall was only the beginning.

“I’m not sure how familiar you are with werewolf lore.” Luke began slowly. “You’ve probably realized by now that Reggie can’t transform at will. That he’s basically human most of the time, except around the full moon.”

“Yeah, I figured as much.” Alex replied softly. 

“Well, it’s not just that he transforms when he becomes the werewolf. He basically loses his mind.” Alex stared at him in shock. “The wolf that emerges is a creature that acts purely on instinct. It’s out for blood and it _will_ kill, if it ever escapes.” Luke made a vague hand gesture encompassing the room. “So we won’t let it.”

“Has...has that ever happened?” Alex asked hesitantly, not sure he would be able to handle the answer. But Luke just shrugged, helplessly.

“When I met Reggie he had already been a werewolf for almost a year. To this day he refuses to talk about what he has experienced. And to be very honest, I’m afraid to pry. I don’t know what reliving those memories would do to him.” Alex’s heart went out to him, to both of them. The more he learned about his new friends’ inner demons the more heartbreaking it all became. Especially given how at odds the monsters, lurking deep inside of them, were with their kind and loving human nature. 

* * *

Dinner went more quietly than usual. Alex, not being able to consume food, sat there eyeing his friends. Reggie looked listlessly down at his plate and Luke kept shooting glances at him and the large grandfather clock that stood in the living room. 

Finally Luke cleared his throat and spoke up. “I think it’s time, Reg.” 

He put his hand on his friend’s arm and gave it a short squeeze. Reggie looked up and nodded slowly. Then both of them got up and went down into the cellar without another word. Alex was unsure of what to do but eventually he just settled on staying put. He didn’t feel like prying into something this personal. They hadn’t known each other for that long after all and he couldn’t be sure how Reggie would feel about him being there. After a short while Luke returned and sat back down at the table. 

“You aren’t going to stay with him?” Alex asked in surprise. He had thought that Luke would keep his friend company during the transformation. But Luke shook his head.

“No. Seeing me will only enrage the creature further. Vampires and werewolves have a deep seated loathing for each other. It will do anything including hurting itself to get to me.” The more Alex learned about this the more he hated it. 

“So, he will be alone?” he whispered. Luke just nodded slowly.

They remained silent while the minutes ticked by. Suddenly noises could be heard from downstairs. They were muffled, so the soundproofing was at least partially doing its job but the screaming still sent shivers down Alex’s spine. Upon hearing the sounds Luke sprang out of his chair and hurriedly descended the steps to the cellar. He settled down on the last step, resting his hand against the door. Alex had come to a halt right behind him.

Suddenly an idea crossed Alex’s mind. He wasn’t entirely sure it was a good one but he felt so bad knowing that Reggie was facing this alone and he wanted to help him.

“Can the wolf hurt me?” He asked tentatively. Luke stared at him, with a puzzled expression on his face. Clearly he didn’t yet realize where Alex was going with his question.

“No, you’re already dead. In fact I don’t even think a werewolf would try to attack you. They usually get on very well with ghosts.”

“Thanks, that’s all I needed to know.” And with that Alex stepped through the door before Luke could stop him. 

As Alex entered the room his eyes immediately fell on the large shape occupying it. A gigantic wolf stood in the middle of the room. Its fur was dark brown with streaks of black. Heavy metal chains were attached to a large collar around its neck as well as all four of its legs. In any other situation Alex might have considered this overkill but looking at the creature filled him with dread and he could only imagine what would happen if it managed to break free. The wolf was straining against the binds that held it, snarling viciously. It sniffed the air and Alex realized that it must be picking up the vampire’s scent. Luke had not exaggerated then. The creature was trying everything in its power in order to get to him. 

“Hey, hey! It’s me.” Alex lifted up his hands and approached slowly. The wolf turned its head and fixed him with a stare, clearly only becoming aware of him now. Alex exhaled slowly. Would it try to attack him? Perhaps this had been a really bad idea. He didn’t feel like aggravating it any further than it already was. But to his surprise the wolf seemed to calm down at his presence. Alex tried to sum up all the courage he could muster and continued his approach until he finally was so close that all he needed was to reach out in order to touch it. The werewolf had stopped straining against its chains, still fixing him with its yellow eyes. Alex reached out and patted its head. 

“There, there. It’s all going to be fine, okay? You’re not alone.” Alex doubted that the wolf was able to comprehend what he was saying but for whatever reason his voice seemed to calm it down. Alex continued scratching its head and the wolf finally curled up on the ground. It gave a soft whine until Alex settled down next to it. They stayed like this for a long time, until the sound of slow and even breathing told Alex that the creature had fallen asleep. He extracted himself slowly from his position on the floor and looked around the room. He noticed that Reggie’s clothes were sitting on the ground, neatly folded. Next to them was a stack of blankets. Alex walked over, picked up one of them and put it on the wolf’s prone figure. He assumed that Reggie would be grateful for the warmth once he awoke the next morning.

Alex considered leaving but finally decided that he would keep his new friend company so he once again settled down next to the sleeping animal and rested his back against the wall. He must have lost consciousness for a while because when Alex looked back down the wolf had disappeared, replaced by Reggie’s human form, still very much asleep. At the sight a smile crossed his face. He slowly got up, put another warm blanket over his friend and quietly left the room.

* * *

  
  



	7. When Alex Met Willie

* * *

The following morning Alex sat on his bed and was reading a book when he heard a knock on the door. As he looked up he saw Reggie hovering in the doorframe.

“Hey, there,” Reggie greeted him. “Can I come in?”

“Of course!” Alex replied, motioning for his friend to sit down on the bed. Reggie complied. He sat there for a good minute clearly at a loss for words.

“Can I help you with something?” Alex asked, trying to prompt him to speak.

“Yeah..” came the slow reply. “Just-- I wanted to say thank you. Luke told me what you did. I just wanted to let you know how much that means to me.”

“That’s quite okay.” Alex smiled at him. “You guys have been so kind to me. I’m happy to return the favor.”

“I don’t think you realize just how much you’ve helped me. I’ve never been able to sleep through one of these transformations. Never! And reverting back is just as painful as turning into the werewolf. I can never repay you for this. But---I’d like to try.” Reggie reached out and took Alex’s hand. “I thought... Why don’t the two of us go out there? Take a walk around Hollywood. So you can see other people. Leave the house for once.”

“Is that even possible?” At the thought Alex felt excitement rush through him but it sounded almost too good to be true.

“Luke thinks so.” Reggie replied. “It’s really all in your head, Alex. If you want to leave, you can. And I’ll be there with you so you won’t get lost.” 

* * *

They had been strolling along Hollywood Boulevard for a while now. Reggie was walking next to Alex making sure that he was close enough to touch whenever Alex needed it. From studying the reactions of people around them Alex gathered that he was completely invisible, as he had been expecting. But he really didn’t mind. It felt amazing to be outside in the sun. He looked over at Reggie who was smiling happily. Suddenly his friend’s expression changed to one of concern then outright terror. He stopped in his tracks and stared at something on the opposite side of the street. Alex followed his gaze. A man stood at the crosswalk and was looking directly at them- _both of them_. He was dressed in old-fashioned clothing, a long overcoat and a top hat. 

“What is it?” Alex asked, nudging his friend who stood frozen to the spot. “What’s wrong? Who is this guy?”

“Vampire” Reggie whispered, clearly in shock.

“He can’t hurt us, okay Reggie?” When his friend didn’t immediately respond Alex tried again. “Reggie, come on. It’s the middle of the day. He won’t try anything here. Let’s just leave.” He grabbed his friend’s jacket and tried to get him to move. After a few seconds Reggie finally recovered and let Alex lead him away.

They walked further but Reggie’s demeanour had completely changed. He had tensed up and kept glancing back the way they had come. Alex grew increasingly concerned. Logically he knew that vampires were dangerous but Reggie’s behaviour suggested first-hand experience. He reached over and touched his friend lightly on the shoulder which almost made Reggie jump out of his skin. Once he realized that it was only Alex he relaxed and shot him an apologetic look.

“I’m so sorry Alex. I wanted this day to be good for you and here I am ruining it.”

“Nonsense!” Alex replied, firmly. “I’m grateful that you brought me here. But I think I’m fine now. Let me walk on alone. I’ll meet you at home later, okay?”

Reggie looked at him, uncertainty edged into his face. Alex was sure that there was nothing that Reggie wanted more than to go back to the safety of the house. But he was clearly also worried about leaving Alex alone. 

“Listen.” Alex said, “Why don’t we meet up later? That way you know I won’t get lost. Let’s say at the Orpheum, in three hours?” 

Reggie nodded, visibly relieved. “Okay. I’ll meet you there.” He shot Alex another concerned look but when Alex just gave him a reassuring smile he finally turned and dashed away. Likely as far from this side of Hollywood as his legs would permit. 

Once Reggie was out of sight Alex exhaled slowly. Perhaps he hadn’t been as sure of this as he wanted his friend to believe. _Okay_ , he tried to calm himself. _I can do this! I just have to--_ at that moment, his thought process was rudely interrupted when a guy on a skateboard came barreling down the street and knocked him off his feet.

* * *

“I’m so sorry. You okay, man?” The skater guy had come over and looked down at Alex with a worried expression on his face. He held out his hand but Alex didn’t immediately take it. Instead he stared at the guy transfixed, taking in his appearance. He was young, probably around Alex’s own age and had dark brown hair and brown beautiful eyes. The way he was staring at Alex now made his insides tingle. _Wow!_

“Did I hurt you? Didn’t think that was possible, you’re a ghost right?” 

“No, I mean yeah I’m a ghost. No, you didn’t hurt me.” Alex mumbled in response and finally took the offered hand and let the stranger pull him to his feet. He had not yet fully recovered his wits but at least he’d managed a somewhat coherent response. Upon hearing that, a smile crossed the strangers face and Alex was spell-bound. All rational thought went out the window. 

“So, you’re new? Never seen you around?”

“Huh?” 

The stranger chuckled and Alex noticed, belatedly, that he was still holding his hand. He let go immediately. What the hell was wrong with him? Sure, he was cute but he wasn’t the first attractive guy Alex had ever met. 

“I’m Willie. What’s your name?”

“Alex.”

“Nice to meet you Alex.” Willie laughed. “So what brings you to Hollywood?”

“I live here. Well not here here, but not too far away.” 

“Interesting. How come I’ve never seen you around?”

“I didn’t think I could leave my house. Until recently.” 

“Well either way. Let me show you around. I know all the best places to visit and I’d really like to make up for running you over.” Wille shot him another irresistible smile and Alex couldn’t help but nod.

* * *

Willie made good on his promise and showed him all of his favorite sites. They finally settled down in a nearby museum and after Alex had regained the ability to form complete sentences he found that he had a lot of questions for Willie. All of which his new acquaintance was happy to answer. 

“So, how can I get out of these clothes?”

“Yeah, that’s a really good question.” Willie winked at him and Alex blushed. 

_There was probably a better way to phrase that_ , Alex thought, mortified.

“Unfortunately, at least to my knowledge, you can’t. We can only wear the clothes we’ve died in.” From the looks of it Willie was as unhappy about that fact as Alex himself.

“So I’m stuck in this hoodie- forever?” Alex asked, feeling quite displeased at that particular revelation.

“Well, look on the bright side, at least you didn’t die in your PJs. That would have been embarrassing.” Willie chuckled good naturedly but Alex wasn’t so sure he saw the humor. 

“I’m kind of glad I wasn’t wearing my helmet when I died. Not sure that would have come off either.” Willie shook his head at that, his brown hair falling around his shoulders, conjuring up all kinds of ideas in Alex’s head. None of those particularly helpful at present.

“Yeah well, I’m not sure that’s something you should be congratulating yourself on.”Alex replied sardonically. “Could have saved you a lot of trouble.”

“Nah,” Willie sounded unconcerned. “Wouldn’t have helped and honestly I’ve made my peace with it. But seriously pink suits you man! Brings out your eye color.” 

Willie was shamelessly flirting with him but Alex was really not sure how to handle it. It wasn’t like he had any experience in that department. Suppose he could ask Luke for advice. Probably not Reggie though, that would be like asking a fish for tap dance lessons. As his thoughts drifted to his friend he suddenly realized that he hadn’t been paying attention to the time at all. How late was it? When he looked over to the windows of the museum he noticed that the sun was already setting. He’d spent the whole afternoon with Willie which meant that it was now way past the appointed time. He had kept Reggie waiting.

“Hey there. Did you just space out on me?” Willie was still grinning at him. 

“I--I have to go. My friend. He’s waiting for me.” Willie’s face fell.

“I’m sorry! I don’t want to keep him waiting.” Alex didn’t really want this to be the end but after the incident with the vampire he felt terrible about leaving Reggie out there by himself.

“I understand.” Willie nodded. “But, do you maybe want to meet up again? Like, tomorrow? I’ll be here at 2 pm.”

“Yeah okay, sounds great.” He shot Willie one last smile then jumped up and phased through the museum walls not bothering to look for the exit.

* * *

As he was hurrying back along Hollywood Boulevard Alex reflected on how much things had changed for him in such a short time span. He had friends now. People who cared about him. And finally, for the first time in forever, he actually had a date. When he reached the entrance to the Orpheum and found himself face to face with a very worried looking Reggie his chest filled with warmth. He was not alone. He would never be alone again.

* * *

  
  



	8. Shadows Over Hollywood

* * *

Reggie had neglected to tell Luke about the incident with the vampire but Alex thought it prudent to let him know. So on the next day, after breakfast he pulled Luke aside and told him about the encounter. When he had finished Luke stared at him in shock. 

“So what’s the problem, exactly? I mean _you’re_ a vampire. And you guys get on great,” Alex questioned when he saw the look on Luke’s face.

“I’m not exactly the standard for vampire werewolf interaction.” Luke replied, shaking his head. “In fact when I first met Reggie I saved him from a group of my kind ready to murder him on the spot.” 

_That actually explains a lot,_ Alex thought to himself. But he remained silent, not wanting to interrupt Luke. 

“My kind--they hunt werewolves for sport. Put them in cages. In the last few hundred years we have driven their kind nearly to extinction. Reggie is right to be afraid.”

“This is all fucked up on so many levels.” Alex finally spoke up. “Whatever happened to sparkly vampires and cuddly werewolves?” Alex’s introduction to post-’95 pop-culture was going swimmingly, though he wasn’t so sure about some of the stuff that had become popular in the last twenty-five years. Maybe he was just out of touch with this generation’s youth. 

“Well if that were a thing we wouldn’t call ourselves cursed now, would we?” Luke replied drily. 

Alex refrained from pointing out that Luke had never really called himself nor Reggie that. At least not in his presence. But then again that was all semantics. He knew very well that neither Luke nor Reggie were exactly happy with their condition and that his friends tried everything in their power to keep their inner demons at bay. 

“So what now?” Alex asked instead.

“Now I will find this vampire and talk to him.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?”

“No, but if he plans to go after Reggie he better know that I’m prepared to do him harm.” Luke’s voice had grown harsh. Whoever this vampire was Alex wouldn’t like to be in his shoes. He knew how much Luke cared about Reggie. He would do anything, including killing his own kind, in order to protect his friend. Alex just hoped it wouldn’t come to that. 

* * *

At 2 p.m. on the dot Alex entered the museum and found Willie already waiting for him where they had last parted. Upon seeing him, his heart made a little somersault. Who’d have thought that he’d ever get to experience this kind of romance and all the good things that came with it. Certainly not him. 

“Hey there gorgeous!” Willie greeted him, and gave him a flirtatious smile. Alex felt like swooning on the spot but he managed to hold it together. They spent another amazing afternoon together and Willie kept surprising Alex with new bits and pieces about being a ghost and some of the things that you could do when you were dead. Like screaming in a museum ( _very cathartic_ ) or messing with police car sirens (he definitely had to try that out at some point). As night approached it was time for Alex to head back home. A thought suddenly struck him.

“Say, where exactly do you live?” he asked, as he and Willie were walking down Hollywood Boulevard hand in hand.

“Here and there,” Willie replied, with a hand wave. “Well lately I’ve been hanging around the _Hollywood Vampire Club._ The vamps there are pretty cool and actually very tolerant of us ghosts. I can show you around sometime, if you want to.” 

“ _The Hollywood Vampire Club?”_

“It’s not as bad as it sounds. I think vampires get a bad rep. From what I’ve seen so far they aren’t into killing humans,” Willie shrugged.

“Well they are certainly into killing werewolves--”

“Werewolves?” Willie looked at Alex in surprise. “I mean, I guess that’s true. Not that I’ve seen much of that either. But yes, from everything I know these two species hate each other. So I guess in both cases it’s _kill or be killed_.”

“I just don’t get it. I mean if vampires feel so threatened by werewolves why not turn them into one of their own- problem solved.”

“Because they can’t, Alex. Werewolf blood is poisonous to vampires. So attempting to turn a werewolf into a vampire is really not an option.”

“So if a vampire drinks werewolf blood he--”

“Dies. Pretty much, yes. And I think it’s quite excruciating, too.” 

Alex took a minute to recover from this new bit of information. Then another thought crossed his mind. If there was a vampire hideout, the chances were good that the vampire he and Reggie had encountered yesterday was a frequent visitor. Perhaps Willie knew him.

“Say,” he asked hesitantly. “There is this vampire that I saw. Dresses like he’s stuck in the 1920s, top hat, long coat--”

“You must mean Caleb. He actually runs the club. He’s a pretty cool dude.”

“Well, I have a friend who needs to find him. Can you tell me how to get to this club?”

* * *

It was late, well past midnight, when Luke arrived at the entrance to the _Hollywood Vampire Club._ He looked at the building and frowned. From the outside the old hotel looked decrepit, like it had been left abandoned for years. But from Willie’s description that was just a ruse to keep unwanted visitors away.

Luke entered the club and was stopped by two vampires guarding the entrance. They took one look at him and then let him pass without a word spoken. From further down the hallway loud music could be heard. As he walked on he could see people around him, lurking in dark corners, away from prying eyes. He didn’t stop to see what they were doing. He really didn’t need to know. 

As he entered the large ballroom he was momentarily stunned at the scene that opened up before him. There were vampires _and humans_ dancing, sitting around large tables, laughing and talking. From the smell of blood that his sensitive nose picked up there were at least some humans donating blood. Whether willingly or not he was unable to tell from his vantage point. Suddenly someone stepped up behind him and touched him on the shoulder. As he turned he saw a tall vampire, smartly dressed in an old fashioned suit. His smile was both friendly and dangerous. Luke was sure he stood face to face with the vampire that Alex had described. In fact he vaguely remembered hearing about Caleb, but they had never met in person. Apparently though this vampire knew exactly who Luke was, as became evident once he opened his mouth to greet him.

“So you are Lukas? If I had known you were in town I would have brought out the red carpet. Alas, I wasn’t aware you would be gracing my humble abode.”

 _Way to sound like a Bond villain caricature,_ Luke thought but he kept it to himself and just nodded curtly in Caleb’s direction. 

“Quite a nice set up you have. I take it you didn’t force these humans here?”

“Of course not.” Caleb smiled that same shark smile he had greeted him with earlier. “Everyone here is a willing participant. No strings attached. Let me show you around so you can see what we have to offer.”

In truth Luke would have preferred if he didn’t have to see more. The smell was getting to him and it was hard enough to keep the bloodlust at bay. But he had no choice. He needed to talk to Caleb and if indulging him was what it took, so be it. So he accompanied Caleb who gave him all the details about this particular vampire sect. As Caleb had already stated they weren’t into killing humans. And from what Luke could see that was true. In fact the humans in the club were aware of the nature of their hosts. Some of them came for the thrill others hoped to join their ranks at some point.

“So these humans are aware of the price that that would entail?” Luke questioned and shot a sceptical look in Caleb’s direction.  
“They are and they feel that the benefit quite outweighs the cost.”

“Do they know the fine print? The part where becoming a vampire will require them to give up their soul?”

“ _Their soul._ ” Caleb chuckled. “Well to be honest most of them have not much to lose in that department. But honestly what is the soul? I know we love to throw that around but it means very little. I have seen no tangible proof that it even exists so in the end they will lose nothing and gain so much--”

“Well as nice as this is that’s not what I came here for.” Luke interrupted, deciding to finally get to the point of his visit. He really wasn’t interested in discussing metaphysics with Caleb and he wanted to get back home to see how his friends were doing. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving Reggie alone at night. Especially with that many vampires around. Had he been aware he’d never suggested moving here in the first place. “There is someone you met yesterday. A werewolf to be exact.”

“Hmmm,” Caleb made a show of trying hard to remember but the glint in his eyes suggested that he knew exactly who Luke was talking about. “I suppose. You mean the little pub that was accompanied by the ghost. What about him?”

“I need you to stay away from him,” Luke replied, firmly.

At that Caleb raised an eyebrow. “You’re protecting werewolves? I would have never guessed that one of us would have a soft spot for _their kind_. Especially not you, given your reputation.” 

They kept on walking and when passing a crowd of three humans and two vampires Caleb halted and greeted them. Luke kept himself apart and watched the exchange, silently. When Caleb returned to his side, Luke shot him another searching look.

“I find it interesting that you would treat humans so much better than werewolves,” he mused.

“Well, we were once human. And they still have a chance to ascend. Unless they become wolves. In that case it’s the end of the line. Putting them down is really just an act of mercy at that point.” Caleb sighed, dramatically. He was quite the showman.

“That’s one way of looking at it. But it certainly isn’t my way.”

“So you care about the werewolves?” Caleb sneered. “That’s a little unexpected.”

“I’m not exactly happy about our attempts to exterminate them, no. But I’m not getting involved one way or the other. Just know that this particular wolf is off-limits.” Luke growled and fixed Caleb with an angry stare.

“Oh really? What exactly is that _creature_ to you?” 

“That’s none of your business. Stay out of my way if you know what’s good for you. That’s my final warning.” And with that Luke turned and left the club without another glance back. He didn’t see the malicious smile that crept up on Caleb’s face once Luke was out of sight. Who knew how things might have turned out if he had.

* * *

  
  



	9. The Undead Quartet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, full disclosure. I only did a quick online search and I know very little about the US educational system in relation to what qualifications are needed to be a substitute teacher and how schools go about finding people for these positions. So if this part of the story doesn't ring true I'll just ask for a little suspension of disbelief ;).
> 
> In this chapter we'll have a little more of the trio just trying to live a normal life. Next chapter will be mostly fluff and after that...well, you'll see. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this and if so, I'm always grateful for feedback.

* * *

A few weeks had passed and it was a sunny afternoon in early December. The sun shone through the windows and the trio was sitting at the kitchen table, and going through listings of job advertisements. Reggie and Alex went through stacks of newspapers while Luke was browsing the internet, looking for open positions that would fit Reggie’s profile. In truth Alex wasn’t so sure what exactly they were looking for. Reggie had been rather vague about what his qualifications were and his previous job had been at a diner. Given the amount of vampire activity in the area Luke had vetoed finding a similar position here. Plus, as Luke had pointed out, Reggie was selling himself short and should at least attempt to find something that would offer career opportunities. Reggie hadn’t been very enthusiastic but he finally consented. 

So here they were looking for any jobs that might be suitable for a college-educated werewolf with experience in the service industry and which, ideally, would not require Reggie to be available after nightfall to limit potential exposure to fanged fiends. After the encounter with Caleb, Alex had asked Luke how he could walk around during daytime and Luke had explained that sunlight wasn’t really permanently harmful to vampires. Stil, they did not exactly feel comfortable in the sun and hence were mostly nocturnal. 

Needless to say, finding a job that would fit all of these requirements wasn’t exactly easy. 

“Here’s one for a substitute teaching position. That might be interesting.” Luke spoke up and pointed at an ad on his laptop. Reggie stared at Luke with a doubtful expression on his face but Luke soldiered on. “You would be a wonderful teacher. And, as I recall, you do have a teaching degree--”

“Yeah, and next to zero experience. Plus that all happened before--” Reggie fell silent. Alex and Luke looked at him. He rarely spoke about his werewolf side and neither Luke nor Alex had ever heard him talk about the time before he met Luke or the encounter that had changed his life forever. Their eagerness at learning the truth must have shown on their faces because Reggie just shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it. And teaching is off the table.”

But Luke wouldn’t give up so easily. “I don’t see why it should be!”

“Great! Next teacher-parent night at the full moon I get to orphan half the school, marvelous.” Reggie quipped, but it came out harsher as probably intended.

“Nonsense.” Luke raised his eyebrows at his friend and Alex realized that they must have had this conversation before. 

“Is it? And by the way who knows what could happen. I know the wolf is there watching me. I can feel it. What if it decides to come out on a regular day, have a little snack?”

“That’s not a thing and you know it!”

Alex had watched the exchange silently but now he spoke up.

“You have a teaching degree? Which subjects?” This was news to him and he wondered why exactly Reggie had failed to mention it before. In fact, when Alex had asked him about his college degree Reggie had vaguely responded that it wasn’t relevant for any job he would be willing to apply for and left it at that.

“Well biology, for one. So I suppose I could add some extra lessons on werewolf anatomy to the curriculum. Maybe a little demonstration? Of course I’d probably have to look for another class after that. The school board might take against me eating the students--” 

Alex sighed. Reggie would not let it go and Alex finally realized why he had been reluctant to mention his teaching degree before. He was clearly convinced that his werewolf condition would make it too dangerous for him to be around large groups of people especially if that included posing a risk to kids. But if he followed that logic it basically meant that Reggie would have a hard time finding any job with regular working hours which would hence severely limit his chances of ever having a career. Alex shot a glance in Luke’s direction and noticed that the vampire had stopped listening to Reggie’s objections and had instead opted to continue his search. 

Suddenly Luke spoke up again “Here’s another substitute position. It’s a school with a musical program. That would be perfect for you Reg. You can combine your passions: music and teaching--”

“and occasionally killing people.” Reggie interrupted. Luke had crossed his arms and looked at him annoyed. He was about to argue again so Alex decided that it was time to change the subject.

“You play music?”

“I used to.” Reggie responded wistfully. 

“Which instrument?”

“Several, but I’m most proficient with the bass ..and the banjo.” Reggie’s lips curled into a small smile.

“That’s cool. I used to be in a band with a friend. I play the drums.” Alex responded and for the first time in forever he wondered what had happened to Bobby. They had lost contact after highschool and he wondered if Bobby was aware of Alex’s untimely death. 

At this Reggie’s mood lifted considerably. “Maybe we should form a band?” He announced to the room excitedly. They both looked at Luke.

“I mean I do know a couple of instruments. And I have a magnificent signing voice if I do say so myself.” This declaration from Luke prompted Reggie to chortle in response. 

“So what should we call ourselves?” Alex was all excited now as well.

“ _The Undead Quartet_?” Reggie suggested.

“It’s just the three of us Reg.” Luke replied with slight exasperation in his voice.

“Well _Undead Trio_ just sounds stupid.” Reggie shot back sounding a little hurt at the fact that his suggestion had been dismissed so easily. 

“Maybe--I could ask Willie to join us? If he doesn’t play an instrument we can teach him.” Alex offered and warmth spread through his body at the thought of having something to share with his boyfriend. 

“Good idea!” Luke agreed “ But I say we hold off on the name for when we figure out what kind of music we’re actually going to play. And don’t say country”. Luke held his finger up towards Reggie who had been about to make another suggestion but remained silent. He looked a little crushed. “Very well, let’s do this.” Luke rubbed his hands together and smiled. “Under one condition--” he fixed his eyes on Reggie. “You give this substitute thing at least a try.” 

He turned around his laptop and showed Reggie the page with the advertisement. 

Reggie took a closer look. “Los Feliz High School?”

“It’s only a three-month interim position. You can always quit if it doesn’t work out. And if that happens, which it won’t, you get to say I told you so.” Luke spoke firmly, as if he would not accept no for an answer. He probably wouldn’t, Alex thought. 

Finally, Reggie nodded. “Okay, I mean they probably won’t even consider my application. So I guess it can’t hurt.” 

Once again Reggie’s attempts at clairvoyance left much to be desired. As it were the school turned out to be very interested in his application and after his job interview with the school’s principal and a few other members of staff it was agreed that he would join the school faculty after the Christmas break. It took Alex’s and Luke’s combined efforts to talk him out of quitting right then and there. 

* * *

  
  
  



	10. Everybody Loves Baby Yoda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So anyone up for a bit of Christmas fluff? No? Well, have some anyway. :D With a few touches of emotional h/c sprinkled in between. I hope you enjoy it. Plot will be back in the next chapter along with loads of angst.

* * *

On the morning of the 21st of December Alex came downstairs to find Luke and Reggie in the process of putting up a large Christmas tree in the living room. 

“So we’re actually doing this?” 

“Sure thing. Christmas is about family. And that’s what we are!” came Reggie’s muffled reply from somewhere behind the tree. Luke just nodded and smiled. 

“Say, Alex. Do we have any decorations or do I need to get some?” They had finally managed to pull the tree up and Reggie was fiddling with the tree stand. 

“There might be some stuff in the attic. I’ll go check.” Alex turned around and mounted the steps to the first floor. At the back of the hallway was a trap door that led up to the attic. He hadn’t been up there in ages. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t remember ever going up since he’d become a ghost. _Strange_. 

The room was a mess. Large cobwebs hung on the ceiling, the air was cold and stale and every surface was covered with layers of dust. Towards the back he saw stacks of cardboard boxes. Unfortunately nobody had opted to label any of them. So Alex would have to check them individually to see if there was anything of use. He sighed. Maybe this hadn’t been such a great idea. He should have just agreed to letting Reggie buy them new decorations. But Alex wouldn’t go back down now and just admit defeat. He picked a box at random and started opening it. It was full of old books and magazines but nothing that piqued his interest so he went for the next one. In a smaller box he found a stack of photo albums. He vaguely recalled seeing them before, so he took one out and opened it up. 

On the first page was a picture of a young happy couple holding hands. The woman was visibly pregnant. _His parents_. Alex flipped through the pages. There were photos of him as a baby. A lot of them. His mother had written little notes accompanying the photographs and even drawn a few pictures. He’d forgotten that she loved doing that. Suddenly a sense of sorrow and loss overcame him. Alex and his parents hadn’t been on best terms shortly before they had that fatal accident but he had loved them. And he missed them so much.

Alex shivered. It appeared as if the room had grown colder and darker. There was no noise to be heard. He was starting to panic. What if he’d only imagined the past two months? What if, in his loneliness, his mind had conjured up his two new friends and if he went down now they would be gone? He would be alone again. Hadn’t it all been a little too perfect? He started shaking uncontrollably, still staring at the album in his hands and the picture of his mother and him, aged 5, sitting underneath a large Christmas tree, opening presents. 

A warm hand touched his shoulder. 

“Hey! Alex, are you okay?” A voice spoke softly, seemingly from far away and Alex finally lifted his head. Reggie was sitting hunched down beside him. His expression was full of concern. “We were getting worried so Luke asked me to check on you. What’s wrong?” Reggie’s eyes flickered down to the album in Alex’s hands. As he realized what Alex was holding his hand reached out and he took the album out of Alex’s unresisting hands. 

“I thought-- maybe it was all a dream. Maybe you’re not really here.”

Reggie’s arms came up around him and he pulled Alex into a tight hug. “I’m here, okay? We’re both here and we won’t leave you. You’re our family now!” 

They stayed like this for a while until Alex finally took a deep breath and extracted himself from Reggie’s embrace. “I guess we better get down before Luke calls in the search brigade.”

“Good idea.” Reggie grinned. He stood up and extended his hand to Alex. “And by the way. I’m way too unique to just be a figment of your imagination. You’d think your dream family would be a little more..conventional. And probably not chained in the basement every full moon. Just saying.” 

Alex had to laugh at that, releasing some of the tension he had been feeling. He took Reggie’s offered hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. He gestured towards the rest of the boxes. “I’m not sure there are any decorations here--” 

“That’s alright,” Reggie interjected kindly. “I’ll buy us some new stuff. Maybe we can get some wolf and vampire shaped christmas baubles. And a little ghost to go on top.” 

“Not sure there’s a market for that.” Alex said doubtfully. “But I guess you can always try.” 

* * *

A few hours later Alex had made himself comfortable on the couch and was reading a book. True to his promise, Reggie was out, searching for Christmas decorations. He had also promised Alex to buy a bunch of baking supplies so he would probably be gone for a while. A change in the air made Alex look up and he saw that Luke had settled down next to him. Alex hadn’t even heard him come in. It was uncanny sometimes how quietly the vampire could move. 

When Luke saw that Alex had noticed him he cleared his throat. “Reggie told me what happened. Do you want to talk about it?”

“It was nothing--”

“Alex, of course it was something. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of. You can talk to us. We’re here for you.” Luke reached over and touched Alex’s hand, rubbing the back of his palm softly.  
Gratitude and warmth washed over Alex. “I-- for a moment there I thought I’d just imagined all of this. That I had gone crazy and was still alone. But I’m good now.”

Luke nodded slowly. 

“Actually, I wanted to ask you something.” Alex began again, hesitatingly. “I know this holiday is about us being a family but..do you think I could invite Willie to join us? I don’t want him to be alone. But if you’d rather not that’s okay too--”

“Of course you can invite him over.” Luke answered, smiling at Alex and squeezing his hand. “I’d love to meet him. I’m sure Reggie feels the same way.” 

Alex beamed at him. The moment was interrupted when the front door swung open and Reggie entered, hands full of boxes in different shapes and sizes. He stumbled, nearly dropping half his load but managed to catch himself just in time. “Success!” he announced cheerfully. “Now let’s make this the best Christmas we’ve ever had!”

* * *

It was the day before Christmas Eve and every inch of the house (well those that could potentially be seen by visitors) had been scrubbed clean. Reggie had gone all out on his decorating spree and next to the holly, mistletoe and Christmas lights he had added little vampire bats and even a wood cutting of a howling wolf. _From a Halloween sale. Guess they were glad I took that stuff off their hands. It was really cheap._ Reggie had told them proudly. 

Alex was standing in the doorway to the hall and watched his friends as they put the last finishing touches to the tree. Reggie stood on top of Luke’s shoulders and was trying to attach his makeshift ghost tree top. True to Alex’s predictions, ghostly Christmas decorations were not a thing. So Reggie had opted to create one himself. He’d bought a classic angel tree top, cut out a small part of an old bed sheet and wrapped it around the angel. He had even painted on little eyes and a large A - _for Alex_ on its chest. It was adorable and Alex appreciated the gesture very much. 

“You know, I’m sure there’s a ladder around here somewhere,” he pointed out to his friends watching their attempts with a huge grin on his face.

“No need.” Reggie replied. “We’re good, right Luke?”

“Yeah sure.” Luke said, grinning. 

“Just move a little to the left--there -- yess, that’s it.” Reggie exclaimed as he finally managed to attach the ghost angel to the tree. Alex chuckled quietly then went to the kitchen to get a start on his own holiday preparations.

* * *

“What’s wrong? You feeling alright?”Upon hearing Reggie’s concerned voice Alex looked up from the bowl of cookie dough in his hand. Reggie stood in the doorway of the kitchen and shot him worried glances. 

“Yeah, sure why would you--” then it dawned on Alex. The kitchen looked like Alex had been in a baking competition, _with himself_. There were trays upon trays with different varieties of cookies, gingerbread men and even snickerdoodles. He shot a sheepish look in Reggie’s direction. “I guess I went a little overboard. But I wanted it to be perfect.”

“Are we expecting visitors?” When Alex answered his question with a nod a look of surprise crossed Reggie’s face. “Really? How many exactly? Cause you could feed a whole army with these.” He gestured towards the rows of baked goods.

“Just Willie.”

“Your ghost boyfriend? He can actually eat?”

“No, I suppose he can’t. I guess I didn’t think this through.” Alex said with a frown on his face. 

“That’s fine.” Reggie hurriedly reassured him. “I love cookies. Guess these are all for me then. I mean Luke can have one--maybe.” He winked at Alex, stuffed a snickerdoodle into his mouth and left the kitchen. 

* * *

On Christmas Eve, Alex spent the entire afternoon kept pacing up and down the living room. To say that he was nervous would have been an understatement. He really wanted Willie and his two best friends to get along. But what if they didn’t? What would he do then? The doorbell finally interrupted his dark deliberations. _Well, only one way to find out_ . Alex hurried to the door but Reggie beat him to it and opened the door with a huge grin on his face. Outside stood Willie in his usual skater outfit. Well, considering fashion options after death were non-existent that was no huge surprise. But seeing him like that still took Alex’s breath away. He wondered if he would ever get over just how stunning Willie looked. Or how lucky he was that Willie wanted to be with him.  
“Hey there! You must be Willie. Alex told us _all_ about you--”

“Hi!” Alex interrupted and stepped in front of Reggie before his friend could disclose just how much Alex had been gushing about his boyfriend. 

“Hey.” Willie shot him one of his irresistible smiles and let Alex usher him in. 

A short while later they were all seated around the dining table and talking amiably. To Alex’s great relief Willie was getting on swimmingly with both Luke and Reggie.

“So,” Willie asked and shot a look in Alex’s direction. “How exactly did you guys meet? I don’t think Alex ever told me.”

“Funny story.” Reggie smirked and Alex suddenly got a bad feeling about this. “Me and Luke moved in -- oh about three months ago, I think. Didn’t know the place was haunted though. Until Alex woke us up banging and moaning about the house.”

“ _Moaning?_ I see.” Willie sniggered and Alex really wished at that moment that the ground would open up and swallow him whole. 

He shot a scathing look in Reggie’s direction but his friend just shrugged and grinned. It was time for a careful retreat. “I’m going to get us some more of these.” Alex took the empty cookie bowl that stood in the middle of the table, got up and hurried over to the kitchen. 

* * *

Alex was taking his sweet time picking up cookies from various trays and placing them in the bowl on the counter. He was in no particular rush to go back and explain that moaning bit to Willie. “Yeah, thanks Reg”, he mumbled to himself.

As he turned around he saw that Willie had followed him and was leaning in the doorframe watching him with an amused expression. 

“You’re two friends--” Willie said, with a smirk. “They’re really cool. Should I be worried? I mean they are _very attractive._ ”

“I suppose--,” Alex replied thoughtfully. “But no, it’s not like that. They’re my best friends. Plus--” at that Alex shot a quick glance towards the dining room to make sure they were out of earshot then looked at Willie with a conspiratorial smile. “Reggie’s hopelessly in love with Luke. But you didn’t hear it from me.” 

“I see. That’s quite unusual. I was surprised they even get along given that they’re--”

“A werewolf and vampire? Yeah I guess that makes them a little different.”

“More than a little.” Willie laughed. “But they’re not together?”

Alex sighed exasperatedly. “No. I have considered locking them up until they see sense. But the opportunity hasn’t presented itself, yet.” 

“Well if you need any help with that, just say the word.” Willie chortled and glanced up at the ceiling. Suddenly a huge smile crossed his face. “Now will you look at that--mistletoe!” 

Alex followed Willie’s gaze and blanched. _Reggie!,_ he thought indignantly. Just how many of these had his friend hung up and for what possible reason? It wasn’t like Luke and Reggie were likely to start kissing at any minute as much as Alex was hoping they would. So why was this stuff hanging all around the place? He got the distinct impression that there was some design to the madness and wondered just what exactly his friend was up to. He looked back to Willie and noticed with slight alarm that he had come over and stood close now. _Very close_. Wllie was studying his face carefully, then reached out tentatively and placed his hand on Alex’s hip. Alex flushed and he suddenly felt incredibly nervous. Willie’s other hand came up to Alex’s face, he touched his cheek lightly, then leaned forward and softly kissed his lips. It was unlike anything Alex had ever felt. As if the floor underneath his feet had dropped out and yet he’d remained standing, floating in mid-air. He leaned into the kiss, placing his hands on either side of Willie’s neck to pull him closer. 

All sense of time went out the window until he heard a soft chuckle. Reluctantly he parted with Willie to look towards the direction of the sound. Reggie stood in the doorway to the kitchen with a huge grin on his face. “Oh, don’t mind me. I just wanted to get this.” He pointed towards the large bowl of assorted christmas cookies and gingerbread men that stood forgotten on the counter. “Carry on.” And with that he snatched up the bowl and quickly exited the room. 

Willie grinned, then turned his attention back to Alex. “So--” he said with a mischievous smile. “Where were we?”

* * *

When Alex and Willie emerged from the kitchen, quite a while later, they found Reggie and Luke on the couch. Reggie’s head rested comfortably in Luke’s lap and he was working his way through their last cookie reserves. _Just how many of those can he eat?_ , Alex wondered. Luke was looking at the TV screen with a frown on his face and absentmindedly running his hands through Reggie’s hair, ignoring the cookie that the latter was wagging in front of his face. 

“Last one, Luke. You sure you don’t want it? Ah well, more for me then.” When Reggie noticed them, he smiled cheekily. “You’re right on time!” His voice was somewhat muffled by the cookie he’d just stuffed into his mouth. He swallowed it down and continued. “It’s movie night. Luke can’t decide what to watch but since Willie is our guest, I say he gets to choose.” 

“Cool” Willie said, grinning back. “What are the options?”

“Well, there’s Star Wars--”

“Not again!” Luke interrupted. “Just how many movies are there?”

“Honestly only three that matter.” Alex said, firmly. Reggie looked ready to argue but then just shrugged.

“What’s Star Wars?” Willie asked and found three pairs of eyes staring at him in disbelief. “What? I never heard of it.” 

“Just how long exactly have you been dead?” Reggie wondered aloud, earning him a stern look and a smack on the head from Luke. “Ouch, what did I say?”

“Well, Willie” Luke shot their guest an apologetic smile. “As you can tell we all have very different opinions where Star Wars is concerned.”

“Expect Baby Yoda.” Reggie piped up again. “Everybody loves Baby Yoda.”

At that Luke nodded solemnly. “You’d have to be a real monster not to love Baby Yoda.”

“Well, Star Wars it is.” Reggie announced, brimming with excitement. “There’s no way we’re letting Willie leave without a proper introduction.” He sat up, placed the now empty bowl on a small coffee table next to the couch and motioned for Alex and Willie to join them. “I swear you’re going to love this!”

* * *

  
  



	11. School's Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay here we are. Fair warning, as mentioned before, it will get darker from here. There's quite a bit of angst coming. I'm so sorry. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out. And I hope you still enjoy this.

* * *

Much too soon the holidays were over and it was time for Reggie to face his new job. The prospect was making him more than a little nervous. Why exactly had he let Alex and Luke talk him into this? It was a recipe for disaster. On the morning of his first school day Reggie casually suggested that he wasn’t feeling so great and maybe should call in sick, just to be sure. Luke shot him a disapproving look and Alex gave him a long-winded pep talk. Clearly neither one of his friends was prepared to let him chicken out and Reggie finally resigned himself to his fate.

All things considered his first school day went a lot better than expected. The previous biology teacher -Mrs. Nicholls- had left a study plan for all the classes that he would be taking over and he found that he really enjoyed getting back into teaching. _After all these years_. He knew that the school had a prestigious music program but as of now his skills in that department would not be required. That morning the principal had shown him around the school and had informed him of the regular assemblies, including musical performances that would be held in the school’s large gymnasium. Events that Reggie would be very welcome to attend. He did plan to take her up on the offer, provided they didn’t coincide with his lunar cycle obligations. A concern he wisely kept to himself.

After his last class was finished Reggie made his way outside. It was approaching four pm and most students were either at home or engaged with their various after-school activities. Apart from a few stragglers the school’s hallways were deserted. As he walked past empty classrooms the sound of soft music reached his ears. He followed the melody to one of the practice rooms that lay towards the back of the building. Reggie stopped in front of the room and peered inside. A girl was sitting at a piano playing and singing along. He only caught part of the lyrics but it was a beautiful and haunting song about loss and how to move on. Reggie stared at the girl transfixed. She had the voice of an angel. 

Suddenly the music stopped. The girl had spotted him. As he looked eyes with her he remembered that he had seen her in his biology class- _Julie Molina_. She had been rather quiet, almost shy and he only remembered Julie because he had done the roll call and was committed to learning these kids’ names as soon as possible. She smiled at him in that same shy way and Reggie suddenly regretted his intrusion. The song hadn’t been finished. Julie had clearly interrupted her play because she had realized that she was no longer alone.

“I’m sorry,” Reggie apologized with a guilty look on his face. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I--that was beautiful.”

“That’s alright -” Julie replied, “--and thank you! I was finished here anyway. I should be getting home.”

There was something about her that felt familiar. As if Reggie knew her in some way but he couldn’t quite place how. To his knowledge he’d never met Julie before that day. It was a little unnerving. Before the moment could get any more awkward a voice behind him interrupted their exchange.

“Julie!!! You played, didn’t you? Don’t deny it! Does that mean you’re back in the program? Please please please say yes!” 

Another girl had approached and was now pushing past him to envelope Julie in a hug. Then the girl turned around and eyed him suspiciously.  
“And who is this?” she asked Julie pointing in his direction.

“My new biology teacher, Mr. Barnes.” Julie responded with a grin then looked at Reggie and gestured towards her friend. “Mr. Barnes meet Flynn Batiste.”

“Pleasure.” Reggie responded politely. He was a little out of his depth. His usual conversation partners were age old vampires (Luke’s birthdate was a well guarded secret but he had made it his mission in life to get to the truth) and ghostly tweens. Conversing with teenagers outside of the school curriculum wasn’t his strong suit and he was starting to feel a little self-conscious under the girl’s scrutiny. To be honest he wasn’t even sure why he had followed the music in the first place. He had just been _drawn_ to it. Hadn’t been able to resist. As if he’d been under a spell. _Now that’s just ridiculous,_ Reggie chided himself. _Best get a move on before this gets any more embarrassing._ “Well, I have to leave. It was nice talking to you girls.” He nodded in both their directions then turned and made his way outside. 

On the ride home Reggie couldn’t shake the sensation that he was being followed but when he stopped his bike to look around he couldn’t see a thing. Clearly just his imagination running wild again. Since the day had gone a lot better than expected, despite all his dark premonitions,his brain was apparently set on conjuring up new nonsense to worry about. As it always did. So after a few seconds of staring back the way he had come and seeing absolutely nothing of interest, Reggie just shrugged, got back on his bike and rode the rest of the way home without another glance back. The feeling of being watched never left him.

* * *

The next few two weeks went by without a hitch which surprised no one more than Reggie himself. In fact Alex and Luke were getting pretty smug with their _we told you so_ \- attitude. It was getting a little annoying. But as the night of the full moon approached Reggie grew tense again. Over the last few days on his way from and to school the sensation of being watched was ever present. He hadn’t told Alex and Luke about this. Reggie really didn’t want to alarm either one of his friends and as he kept reassuring himself - _it was nothing_. If a vampire was out to get him nothing would stop them from attacking right then and there and he knew from experience that they wouldn’t hesitate. He just needed to get a grip.

When Reggie shuffled into the kitchen on the morning of the full moon, slightly bleary eyed and not in a particularly great mood he saw that Luke was already up, sitting at the kitchen table and reading something on his laptop.

“Full moon tonight.” Luke mentioned, as casually as possible but Reggie could sense the underlying tension. _Yeah thanks Luke. What a revelation_ he thought annoyed, As if he could ever forget about that. 

“I’m aware,” he grumbled in response.

“Do you want me to pick you up after school?” 

Reggie hesitated. On the one hand it would be kind of nice to have Luke there but he really didn’t need a babysitter and he wanted to prove to his friend that he wasn’t as fragile as Luke sometimes seemed to think. That there was really no need to treat him like a little kid.

“Nah, I’m alright.” he replied after a brief moment of consideration. “I only have a couple lessons today. There’s an assembly and a musical performance scheduled so classes will finish early today. I’ll be back way before sundown.” 

Luke nodded but didn’t say anything else. Apparently he was satisfied with Reggie’s answer. 

* * *

On his way to school Reggie once again felt the sensation of eyes watching him from afar. And as always when he looked back there was nothing. No weird smells nor any suspicious cars following from a distance. He wondered why his nerves were so frayed. Everything was going good, great even. Why did his brain have to ruin this for him? And as for the full moon. He would spend the night as always, chained in the basement and with Alex to accompany him. Thinking of his friend made Reggie smile. Vampire cult or not moving here was the best thing that ever happened to him. And he was sure that secretly Luke would agree. Now that Alex was part of their little group they felt _complete_. 

* * *

The bell had rung and all the students rushed out to make it in time to assembly. Reggie checked the clock in front of the entrance. Only three p.m. so plenty of time to get back before the moon came up. He shouldered his backpack and headed outside nearly colliding with Julie who had been standing just outside the door.

“Julie?” he asked in surprise. What was she doing here? Julie hadn’t even had a class with him today. And there was no upcoming test, her grades were fine, really no reason she would have for wanting to talk to him. “Can I help you with something?”

“No--yes actually” Julie replied sheepishly. “I need to talk to you. But not here.” She looked around nervously as if expecting someone to jump out at any minute.

“Sure-” The whole thing was really weird. Except for that one time when he had intruded on her performance and the few instances they had interacted in class he really didn’t know her at all. _Despite all his senses telling him otherwise_ . So what would she want to discuss with him that wasn’t better discussed with her family, her friends, a _guidance counselor_?

* * *

They walked in silence to the back of the school with the parking lot and the bike stand. As Reggie unlocked the chain to his bike he kept glancing in Julie’s direction. If anything she seemed even more nervous then before. Suddenly she spoke up.

“Something is wrong--”

As if on cue three guys exited a nearby van. The hairs on Reggie’s neck rose up. He didn’t need to see their exposed fangs to know what they were. _Vampires_. 

“Run!” He’d spoken quietly, hoping that the tone in his voice would make it clear to Julie just how dangerous this situation was. He had to distract these guys somehow. So that she could get away. Julie hesitated briefly, shooting him a doubtful look. “Go Julie! I’ll be right behind you.” She nodded, then turned and bailed, likely expecting him to follow. But Reggie had no intention of doing so. If he ran now chances were that these guys would go after both of them. He knew how fast they were. Julie and he wouldn’t stand a chance. So Reggie opted for the only logical solution. Distract them, somehow and let Julie get away. It was a brilliant plan, really. There was just one drawback. He likely wouldn’t survive to tell the tale.

“Not even trying to run, are you Lyco? How _brave_.”

_Lyco_ ? That was a new one. But the way the vampire had said it it didn’t sound any better than _dog_ or _wolfie_ or whatever else these vamps liked to throw around when it came to insults. They really weren’t very creative. 

Reggie shot a quick look around to see if there was anything that he could use as a makeshift weapon. _Just a little longer_ , he thought. Just need to keep them occupied until Julie is far away enough. His eyes settled on the bike chain he still held in his hand. It wasn’t especially sturdy. Probably wouldn’t do much damage. Well, better than nothing. Perhaps it was the closeness to the transformation but he felt much more confident. More aggressive, too. A small smile curled up his lips and his opponents halted in their steps, clearly surprised by his confidence. If Reggie were able to hold them off long enough he may actually make it to sundown. And then this whole fight would be an entirely different story. In full wolf mode these vamps wouldn’t stand a chance. As would half the school who was currently gathered for assembly. Plus unfortunately ( _or perhaps fortunately_ ) they were still hours away from sunset. And he didn’t have hours. He had minutes, _if he was lucky._

Either Reggie’s doubt had shown on his face or the vampires had sensed his distraction but as he was still contemplating his grim future (or lack thereof) he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. The vampires were trying to circle him to block off any chance at escape. This wouldn’t do. He threw the chain. It hit the vampire that he’d just spotted out of his eye directly in the face with surprising force causing his would-be attacker to stagger backwards and fall to the ground. Reggie looked at his hands. So he hadn’t imagined it. He was actually stronger. Perhaps his situation wasn’t as dire as he’d initially thought? With added werewolf strength he’d might make it out of there after all. He looked at his three opponents, two still standing and one on the ground. They were eying him warily. And since he’d just foiled their attempt at surrounding him his escape route was still open. Surely Julie was far gone by now. It was time to contemplate getting the hell out of Dodge.

For a hot minute it looked like he would make it. His opponents had been taken off-guard by his resistance and made no further attempts at surrounding him, clearly wary of approaching Reggie again. As if he were a wild animal, completely unpredictable. In some ways he was. But there was something that Reggie didn’t know. Something that had escaped his notice and it would be his undoing- there weren’t three vampires - _there were four_. 

Strong hands seized him from behind and forced him to the ground. A second set of hands joined, took hold of his arms and bound them together behind his back. The vampires half carried him to a nearby van (white, no logos. Just how much more cliche could these goons get?) opened the door and threw him inside. He heard the door shut behind him and was plunged into darkness. Just a short while later he heard an engine roar. Then the van began to move.

* * *

  
As his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness he noticed that he was not alone. 

_Oh No!_

“Mr. Barnes. Is that you?”

“Julie?” So everything he’d done had been in vain. They had still caught Julie and now they had them both. Despair washed over him. How long would it take Luke to notice that he hadn’t come back when he said he would? How long till he figured out that something was seriously wrong? But even if he did. How could Luke possibly find them?

He heard soft rustling. Then someone was tugging at his binds and in a manner of minutes his hands were free.

“They took my phone.” Julie said, unhappily. “At least they suck at the whole tying up thing.” She was handling the whole situation remarkably well. Much better, Reggie had to admit, then he himself. 

“I’ll get us out of here.” He tried to encourage her. But if he was being honest it sounded ridiculous.

“You realize what they are?” Julie asked quietly after a long pause. 

He nodded but then realized that Julie wouldn’t be able to see him. Being close to the full moon had sharpened his eyesight- which was already slightly enhanced. But as a regular human Julie wouldn’t be able to see a thing. To his immense surprise Julie responded.

“So you know vampires? But you’re unable to recognize your own kind?”

“My own kind?” He asked carefully, not wanting to give anything away in case he was misinterpreting her statement.

Julie gave a small sigh and a chuckle. “Werewolves, obviously.” Had she just rolled her eyes at him? 

“Who?” But as he said it he already realized how incredibly stupid that question was. Clearly there was only one answer. Julie was able to see him in the dark, knew exactly who their captors were and had immediately identified him as a werewolf. Just how many more clues did he need to figure it out? He wished Luke was here. He was completely out of his depth. But true to form he followed up his dense question with an equally nonsensical “But you’re so young.” And once again Reggie wished that his mouth wasn’t only loosely connected to his brain.

Julie snorted. “You’re not exactly old either. Don’t take this the wrong way but you seem hardly old enough to be a fully qualified teacher. Or even sub. But anyway, age has got nothing to do with this.”

As Reggie was struggling for something else to say, he suddenly heard a noise from the door. He noticed with dismay that the van had stopped. His panic was back in full force. The door to the van opened and he blinked trying to adjust to the brightness. Four vampires stood in front of the door. Even though his hands were untied, now there was really no question of putting up a fight. And if he somehow managed to catch them off guard again there was Julie to think off. They may end up hurting her to get him to comply. He couldn’t risk it. Two sets of arms reached for him and pulled him out of the van. The other two vampires had gone for Julie. Reggie looked around. They stood in front of a large decrepit building, seemingly an old hotel. But from the looks of it the last guests had checked out years, if not decades, ago. 

The vampires dragged him towards the front entrance. Inside they headed to the right and to his utter dismay he noticed that the vampires that had been carrying Julie were heading off into another direction.

“Where are you taking her?” he demanded, but as expected his captors remained silent. 

Giving up on getting any information Reggie studied his surroundings instead. From the outside the building had looked abandoned but inside the hallway and adjacent rooms were lusciously decorated, with dark red carpet and mahogany panels on every wall. Through one of the half opened doors he glimpsed a large ballroom. It was empty and dark but he saw the outline of a stage, large round tables and a huge chandelier on the ceiling. Suddenly he realized where he was. This must be the place Luke had told them about. _The Hollywood Vampire Club_. 

Suddenly they came to a halt in front of a set of large double doors. The vampire to his left hesitated briefly, then knocked on the door. 

“Come in.”

The vampire to his right opened the door. Reggie felt a push from behind and stumbled through. Behind him his two silent companions entered, taking guard at either side of the door. As if escape had really been an option. Reggie stared at the other occupant in the room. The vampire that he had seen on Hollywood Boulevard all these weeks ago. The one they called _Caleb._

“Welcome.” Caleb stood up from the large desk that he had been sitting at when they entered and moved closer to Reggie, eyeing him with evident interest. “I’d say it’s a pleasure to have you here but as we both know that would be a lie.” He smiled at Reggie, exposing his sharp fangs. There was nothing friendly in that smile. It was all teeth and unveiled threat. Reggie’s insides grew cold. There was no possible way out. This was it. But he still had to at least make an attempt at a bargain. Even though there was really nothing to bargain with.

“The girl. She’s got nothing to do with this. Let her go!” 

“I think not. And you’re really in no position to make demands _wolf_ .” A look of annoyance crossed Caleb’s features. But he quickly schooled his expression and was back to the shark smile he had given Reggie earlier. “I like your bravado. You might have made a good vampire. Unfortunately that option is no longer available to you. I could just kill you right now. It would be a mercy. But that’s not why I brought you here. You see - you are just a means to an end. It’s your _friend_ I’m interested in. It’s time to teach him a lesson.” He motioned for his lackeys to come forward. They seized Reggie on either side and dragged him from the room. 

* * *

  
  



	12. Darkest Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So fair warning, this will probably be the darkest chapter by far (the clue is in the title). Lots of angst to follow. I've included a few spoilers in the end notes, just in case you want to know in advance what happens. I hope you enjoy this and if so, let me hear your thoughts. :)

* * *

Luke was pacing up and down the living room, glancing at the grandfather clock in the hallway and growing increasingly nervous by the minute. Reggie should have been back over an hour ago. Where was he?

Luke chided himself for not insisting on picking him up as intended. He should have made sure that Reggie came back home, safely. Had he been held up at the school? A last minute conference maybe? The next thing Luke was going to do was buy his friend a cell phone. Reggie was probably the only twenty-something in the entire city who didn’t own one. 

Alex had been sitting on the couch and following Luke’s path with his eyes. 

At last, he spoke up. “Look, I’m sure everything is fine. He’ll be back before sundown.”

Luke just shook his head in reply. They had been way too careless over the last few months. And in part it was Luke’s fault. After all, it was he who had encouraged Reggie to take on this teaching job and he who had brushed away all of Reggie’s rather reasonable objections. All these centuries of experience and yet Luke had apparently failed to learn from his past mistakes. He had dropped his guard once again and who knew what price he would have to pay for that. _This time_.

“I’ll go check on him, okay?” Alex had gotten up from his spot on the couch and walked over to Luke, squeezing his arm reassuringly. “Gotta try out these new cool teleportation skills that Willie showed me.” He smiled at Luke and one second later he was gone.

Luke took a deep calming breath. Everything would be okay. Alex would bring Reggie home. 

The minutes ticked by and Luke was back to pacing and worrying. His musings were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. For a brief moment Luke felt relieved but then doubt crept in. If this was his friend why would he knock? Reggie had a key. And where was Alex?

Luke rushed to the door, ripped it open and found himself face to face with two very pale individuals. The two men that stood outside were slender, with slicked-back hair and immaculate suits. They looked like lawyers. Maybe that’s what they were. But they were also _something else_. 

“What do you want?” Luke growled without preamble. He didn’t have time for this. He wondered if Caleb had sent them. And if so for what purpose.

“May we come in?” The taller of the two asked with a polite smile. It didn’t fool Luke one bit. These guys were dangerous and suddenly he had a bad feeling about this. Where was Reggie?

“I think not.” He replied curtly. At least they wouldn’t be able to enter as long as Luke didn’t invite them in. “Please leave now, before I _make_ you.”

“I think you’d want to hear us out.” The other vampire had spoken up. His mouth was open in a grin, fangs exposed. “It’s about that little _doggy_ of yours.”

Panic washed over Luke. He should have been expecting this. Should have been prepared. But he wasn’t. 

“You should come with us, right now. If you care about your _pet_ that is.” 

Luke’s mind was reeling. But there was nothing he could do. Alex was out. He could probably take these two down but Luke couldn’t risk it. Not while they held Reggie captive. There was only one option. Follow them and see if he could strike a bargain with Caleb. There must be a reason why the other vampire had set this up and not just outright killed Reggie. Fear gripped Luke’s heart at the thought of how close he may be to losing his friend forever. 

“Very well.” Luke replied calmly. He would not give them the satisfaction of knowing just how scared he was. “Lead the way.” 

* * *

As expected Luke found himself once again in the _Hollywood Vampire Club_ and face to face with its owner. The two vampires that had brought him here stood guard against the door. He may have still stood a small chance of fighting his way out. But he wouldn’t leave Reggie behind. Wouldn’t risk his friend getting hurt. 

“Lukas, a pleasure to see you here.” Caleb came over and extended his hand to greet him. Luke ignored the gesture.

“The pleasure is all yours,” he responded coldly. “It’s not like you left me much choice. Now, what do you want?” 

“Such hostility,” Caleb chuckled. “That’s really uncalled for. I have an offer for you. One that will prove beneficial to the both of us.”

“Oh really? What kind of offer would that be?” 

“Join the club. We need someone of your _renown._ ”

“And my friend?”

“I’m not interested in the wolf. If you agree to join us I will let him go.” 

“I’ll consider it. But I want to see him first. Make sure you didn’t harm him.”

“Naturally, I expected nothing less.” Caleb gestured to his two lackeys who opened the door and let Luke and Caleb step through. As Luke glanced back he noticed that they were following them at a distance.

“Where are you taking me?” Luke asked, narrowing his eyes at his host.

“Relax Lukas. We’re keeping our Lyco friends close but not _that_ close.” Caleb replied, amusement lacing his tone. He was clearly enjoying this. “If you’ll just follow me to the basement you shall see.” 

Luke nodded silently. Of course, that made perfect sense. And the plural suggested that Reggie wasn’t the only one the vampires held captive. _Just great_. 

Suddenly someone rushed out of one of the adjacent rooms and bumped right into him. 

“I’m sorry. Didn’t see you there.” Brown eyes briefly locked with his. 

_Perhaps not all was lost after all_. 

* * *

The descent down to the basement took forever. Or at least that’s how Luke felt. They must be deep underground now. One of the vampire goons accompanying them had run ahead and was now fumbling with a big keychain to open a heavy metal door. It looked sturdy enough to keep a whole army out-- _or rather in_.

As the door opened Luke looked ahead into a large chamber with high ceilings. Torches lined the walls on either side. In the flickering dim light Luke could make out rows upon rows of cages. 

“It’s a bit much, don’t you think?” Luke gestured towards the room and shot Caleb a disbelieving look.

“I rather like the dramatic flair.” Caleb replied with a chuckle, then walked briskly ahead and Luke hurried to catch up with him. As he walked past the cages he noticed that almost all of them were empty. Only a few of them held dark human shapes. _Other werewolves_. They were keeping towards the back, likely sensing that he was just another vampire. They did not expect any help from his side. Luke’s heart sank. How would they ever make it out of there. 

At the very end of the room Caleb stopped in front of another large cage. Inside sat a rather small figure, huddled in a corner. _Reggie_. 

When he saw his friend Luke’s temper flared. How dare they treat him like this.

“Release him right now!” he demanded, balling his fists.

“Of course!” Caleb smiled at him. “That is, if you agree to our little arrangement.”

“Yes. Anything. Just let him go.”

Caleb motioned for one of the vampires to unlock the door. Once it was open Luke stepped inside. It really wasn’t his brightest idea and he realized his mistake the second he’d made it. The door shut behind him and was locked from the outside. Luke turned on the spot and locked eyes with Caleb who gave him another one of his shark smiles. 

“We had a deal!” Luke rushed forward and rattled on the bars. But it was no use. Their prison was clearly designed to hold a fully transformed werewolf. He didn’t stand a chance of forcing it open.

“This is only in your best interest Lukas.” Caleb chuckled. “Can’t have you attached to one of _them_. It will only leave you vulnerable. Once you come to your senses you will realize that. Now, I don’t think that you really want to lay down your life for this _dog_ . So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Consider this your _initiation rite._ You’ll thank me later.” And with that he left. 

Luke’s eyes followed Caleb until the vampire had vanished into the dark. He felt nothing but white hot rage. But when he turned around and looked at his best friend who was staring at him in wide-eyed terror, cold dread settled in his stomach. They were out of time. Was this really how it would end? 

The minutes stretched on as both friends stared at each other unable to speak. Finally, Reggie’s voice broke the silence.

“Kill me!” he whispered. “But please make it quick.”

Luke stared at his friend in shock. “How can you even ask me that?” 

“You have to!” Reggie insisted. “When the wolf comes out, it will tear you apart. I can’t live with that.”

But Luke just shook his head, slowly. “I could never do that to you. Please, Reggie. Alex will come. You will get out of here.”

“But it will be too late for you.” Reggie looked at him. There were tears in his eyes. 

Luke reached out, pulled Reggie into his arms and hugged him tightly. “It’s not your fault Reg.” 

“There’s something I have to te–” but whatever it was that Reggie meant to disclose was lost as he suddenly pushed Luke off and fell to his knees, writhing in agony. Around them out of the darknes screaming could be heard. Luke was frozen to the spot, staring at Reggie in horror. Bones were cracking, shifting then mending themselves in different places. Fur began to spread all over his friend’s body. Reggie lay on the ground now, an inhuman scream tearing from his lips as the wolf slowly emerged.

* * *

“I can’t believe you’d continue to go to the club. Even after I told you that Caleb was threatening my friends. Still think he’s a _cool dude_ , do you?” Alex was fuming. 

“I’m so sorry Alex. I didn’t know. And I really didn’t have anywhere else to go. But if I had any idea that he locked up people in his basement I would have stayed away. I mean who does that? Well--I guess apart from you guys, occasionally.” Willie’s attempt at lightening the mood proved a misstep and just earned him a scathing look from Alex. 

Alex knew that his anger at Willie was misplaced. That none of this was his fault. In fact if Willie hadn’t been in the club this afternoon Alex would have been none the wiser to both Luke’s and Reggie’s predicament. So he was grateful, just too worried and too infuriated by the whole situation to voice any of that to his boyfriend. He’d apologize to him later. Once they were all safe. 

“You really think Caleb will hurt them?”

“Don’t you? Taking Luke to Reggie when one of them is about to transform into a mindless bloodthirsty monster. Really doesn’t need a rocket scientist to figure out what he’s planning.”

“Luke still went with them willingly. Wouldn’t he have resisted if he thought that would be the outcome?”

“Yeah well, Luke can be incredibly dense sometimes. You wouldn't think that he had decades of experience. Let alone centuries. I bet it turns out he’s only been a vampire for like five years and is just pretending to be really old to mess with us.” Alex rolled his eyes.

But secretly he thought that there was another possibility. That Luke knew exactly what he was walking into. And that he was willing to face the consequences. Like a sacrificial lamb. Or a martyr. _The suicidal idiot_. Of course Luke wanted to protect Reggie. So did Alex. But Luke’s tendency to walk headlessly into every dangerous situation without at least some kind of contingency plan was just reckless. And stupid. He just hoped they would reach his friends in time. 

Alex and Willie had teleported as close to the club as they had dared. Simply phasing inside might alarm the vampires to their presence and all would be in vain. According to Willie there was another entrance that was blocked off and hence unguarded. It would be easy for the two ghosts to just walk through and since it was in the abandoned part of the building, the chances of meeting any of the club’s occupants was slim. Getting out with a vampire and a werewolf in tow would probably be the more difficult task ahead. Well, they had time to worry about that later. The most pressing issue was to find Luke and Reggie. Everything else was secondary. But it was taking them far too long and the moon had already risen.

* * *

Alex was in full panic mode. _They were too late_. He looked around the cages frantically. Some of them held wolves but he couldn’t see the familiar shape of either one of his friends. Where was Reggie? What had happened to Luke?

Willie took his hand and squeezed it tightly. “Don’t worry, we’ll find them,” he tried to reassure Alex but Alex was barely listening. By the looks of it, all the werewolves had fully transformed. He shuddered to think what that meant.  
“Let’s split up. We should be able to find them faster that way.” Alex suggested, looking at Wille and pointing to the cages all around them. Though currently the chance of finding both Reggie AND Luke alive was dwindling by the second and Alex was well aware of it.

Willie nodded then turned around and disappeared. Alex hurried onwards, checking every cage on the way. Most of them were empty but in some of them, large shapes were pacing back and forth, wolf eyes fixing him with intense stares. On closer look, however, none of them turned out to be Reggie. Towards the back of the room, in one of the last cages, he finally glimpsed a familiar figure.

The dim flickering torch light illuminated Luke’s head and upper body but Alex couldn’t yet make out his face. As Alex approached he saw that his friend was sitting on the floor, head bowed and staring down at a shape on the ground which was still obscured by shadows. Alex hurried forward but stopped once he realized what it was. A huge wolf lay motionless on the ground, its head resting in Luke’s lap. The creature had dark brown fur, streaked with black. There was no doubt that it was Reggie. Luke’s fingers were stroking through the creature’s hair, slowly, tenderly. At the sight, shock washed over Alex. If Luke was still alive that could only mean one thing. 

“What happened?” Alex whispered. Upon hearing his voice Luke looked up. His expression was calm, almost serene. At the same moment the wolf’s head turned as well. It fixed its dark yellow eyes on Alex but didn’t move from its spot on the ground.

Relief flooded through Alex and for a second he stared at the pair, in complete disbelief. How was this possible? From everything he knew about them, werewolves and vampires could not co-exist. 

“I don’t understand it myself,” Luke replied, softly. “I thought he would attack me the minute the transformation was complete. But he never did.” He glanced down at the wolf in his arms and a soft smile spread across his face. The wolf’s head turned and it looked up at Luke. Then a huge tongue came out and slobbered all over Luke’s face whose expression changed into one of befuddlement before eventually settling on indignation. At the sight Alex erupted into laughter until tears were streaming down his face. 

At this instance Willie appeared by his side. The look on his face mirrored Alex’s feelings, incredulity and wonder at the sight in front of him.

“How--” Willie muttered.

“Let’s not waste time discussing that now.” Alex interrupted. “How do we open this thing?” He pointed towards his friends' prison. “Brute force won’t do us any good if it’s strong enough to hold a werewolf.” He studied the bars with a frown on his face.

“I think I saw a keychain outside. Let me check.” Willie vanished from the room but was back in an instant with a set of keys in his hands and a triumphant smile.

“Got it.” 

“Let’s hurry up!” Alex urged him on and mere seconds later Willie had managed to open the door. 

* * *

“Come on, let’s go.” Luke said and scratched the wolf’s head. As if on cue the creature rose from its position and strolled out of the door, Luke following close behind.

They made their way to the exit until the werewolf suddenly halted in its steps and moved back to one of the cages that were currently occupied. It howled. Out of the depths came a soft howl in reply. Then a black wolf emerged from the shadows. It was hard to make it out against the dark backdrop but its eyes shone brightly in the torchlight. Outside the cage the werewolf scratched at the door, then whined and looked back in their direction.

“No Reg, we can’t let it out. It’s too dangerous!” When Luke noticed that Alex was staring at him open mouthed he frowned. “What?”

“This is the first time I’ve heard you call the wolf Reg, not _it_ or _creature_.”

“Is now really the time?” But secretly Luke had to admit that Alex was right. When had he started to think of the wolf as his friend rather than the mindless monster he’d assumed it to be? Well, the answer to that seemed rather obvious. It was the moment when said mindless monster had looked at him with recognition in its eyes. And had spared his life rather than end it. 

“We can’t leave them here.” Willie protested. “The vampires will kill them.”

“But if we let them free then they might kill other humans. Or infect them. We can’t risk it.” Alex argued back glancing at Reggie who was still looking at them with pleading puppy dog eyes. 

“Listen, let’s just wait till sunrise and free them then. Once they revert back to human form we can help them escape. It’s risky but Willie is right. We can’t just leave them here.” At Luke’s suggestion Alex and Willie nodded in agreement.

“We better try to find them something to wear,” Alex said and took Willie’s hand. Then they vanished from the room. Luke moved over to his wolf-shaped friend and patted his head.

“We’ll get them out, okay. Don’t worry about it.” Then Luke sat down on the ground and tried to make himself comfortable. A few seconds later the wolf settled down next to him and placed its head back in Luke’s lap. As the hours crept by it fell into a deep sleep. Luke didn’t dare to move. He didn’t want to wake Reggie up. So he remained in his position throughout the entire night, rubbing slow soothing circles into the wolf’s fur. Until daybreak.

* * *

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No werewolves, vampires or ghosts were harmed in the making of this chapter. :D So yes, everyone will make it out alive. Additionally, there is a brief description of the werewolf transformation but nothing very graphic.


	13. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're really close to the finishing line now and I'm hoping to be able to post the final chapter this weekend. Lot's of talking in this chapter and a bit of hurt/comfort. I hope you like it.

* * *

Once morning came around, the werewolves in the cages transformed back into their human selves. An so did Reggie. Luke made a half-hearted attempt at waking him up but then decided to let him sleep. He would just carry his friend. Alex and Willie had picked up Luke’s camper during the night. Along with an assortment of clothing from the house. In the hopes that any of these would at least vaguely fit the six freed prisoners.

All things considered the escape from the club went a lot more smoothly than they could have hoped for. Despite their inherent distrust of vampires all the werewolves had opted to try their luck with them. The presence of the two ghosts clearly helped in alleviating some of their worries as did the fact that said vampire was now carrying one of their own in his arms and clearly not willing to let any harm come to him. 

Most of the club’s occupants must have been asleep and they managed to sneak back up to the main entrance without meeting any resistance. Only one vampire was guarding the entrance at this hour and Willie managed to lure him away for long enough so that the little group could make their escape without being seen.

Luke was still carrying Reggie and secretly thought that his friend would hate this part of their escape, once he found out. But Luke really didn’t care. He wanted his friend to be home and safe when he woke up. Reggie was welcome to be embarrassed later. When he was out of harm's way.

Luke couldn’t exactly be sure how much Reggie would remember from the previous night. But Luke expected that his friend should at least be aware of what followed immediately after the transformation. The moment when the wolf, when _Reggie_ , had looked at Luke and recognized him as a friend. They would have that conversation later. In private and without prying eyes. 

* * *

It was still early morning. The sky was overcast and it had begun to drizzle. A few rays of sunshine managed to break through the clouds. The streets around the club were completely deserted. So thankfully nobody was around to take notice of the little group of one vampire, two ghosts and seven werewolves. Alex had offered to give the freed prisoners a ride but most of them decided to go their separate ways. Running through the city in mismatched clothes and without shoes seemed to be preferable to staying in a vampire’s presence. After the ordeal these people had just suffered on the hands of the vampire cult Alex couldn’t really blame them.

Apart from the still sleeping Reggie just one other werewolf stayed behind - a teenage girl with long dark curly hair. Alex immediately liked her. There was a warmth about her presence. And unlike the other people they had just rescued she exhibited no fear when she looked at Luke. Just gratitude and even a hint of admiration. 

“Let’s move.” Alex said to their little group. “I don’t want to wait here until the vamps wake up."

* * *

  
“What is this?” The girl looked at the vehicle in front of her with astonishment and barely contained amusement.

“That? Well, that’s Charlie.” Luke responded, slightly defensively. 

Their get-away ride, which Alex and Willie had parked in a side street a couple of blocks from the club, was an oldtimer. A white and mint green colored VW camper. It was Luke’s pride and joy. 

“Is this thing even fit for traffic?”

“Come on. Charlie is not that old. Just a little over sixty-five years and in perfect condition.” 

Luke had opened the side doors and carefully laid his friend on one of the two benches that took up most of the space in the back. Alex and Willie settled down on the seats opposite Reggie and looked at the girl questioningly. 

“That’s alright. I’ll sit up front. With him.” She gestured towards Luke who was fiddling with a blanket, that he had taken out of a little wooden cabinet next to the bench, until he was satisfied that Reggie would be comfortable.

When he heard her statement Luke looked up in surprise and fixed his eyes on the girl, as if seeing her for the first time. “I’m sorry,” he said. “We haven’t even introduced ourselves yet. I’m Luke. These two over there are Alex and Willie and this is--”

“Reginald Barnes, I know,” the girl said, smiling fondly at their sleeping friend. When she found that three sets of eyes were now staring at her in surprise, she hurried to explain. “He’s my teacher. We were abducted together. He tried to buy me some time to escape but, well, clearly it didn’t work out. My name is Julie Molina. And I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done for me.” 

“It’s our pleasure,” Luke responded, beaming at her. “Well, now that the introductions are over I suggest we get out of here. I prefer us to be as far away from here as possible before Caleb realizes what happened.” 

Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

Julie had given him directions to her house and they were now en route. The club lay far behind them and Luke was finally able to relax a little. Julie kept glancing over in his direction. She opened her mouth as if wanting to speak, but then seemingly thought better of it and remained quiet. This was repeated several times until Luke took pity on her. 

“If there’s something you want to ask me just go ahead. I don’t bite.” 

Julie chuckled in response. “That’s good to know. I just--I guess I wanted to ask how Mr. Barnes and you know each other. A vampire helping a werewolf, that’s a little unexpected.”

“I’ve known Reggie for a while. We’re friends.”

“Just friends?”

At the question Luke looked over at Julie in surprise. She was a little too observant for his taste. 

“Best friends. He means a lot to me. I won’t see him get hurt.”

“Seems like he feels the same way. The fact that his wolf didn’t attack you--I wonder if you realize just how astonishing that is.”

“I do. Believe me. I never thought it possible.”

Julie nodded but didn’t speak up again. Instead she gave him another altogether too discerning look. Luke focused back on the road and they drove the rest of the way in silence. The whole exchange had been quite unnerving. Just who was this girl and how much exactly did she know? 

* * *

Noon had come around and Alex was standing in the doorway to the kitchen deep in thought. Luke, who had been sitting on the couch and leafing through a magazine without taking much interest, finally looked up and locked eyes with him. 

“What’s on your mind?” Luke motioned for Alex to join him on the couch and after a moment of hesitation Alex finally complied. 

“There’s something I need you to do,” Alex began. His voice sounded harsh. He was clearly angry.

“And what would that be?” Luke asked. Alex’s tone had taken him off-guard and he shot his friend a questioning look.

“Repeat after me: I, Luke, vampire of indeterminate age, am an idiot!”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, absolutely. Repeat: I, Luke, hereby declare that I shall henceforth abstain from recklessly endangering myself and others, and that I, Luke, idiot vampire shall forthwith listen to the wise counsel of my friend Alex and his infinite wisdom.”

“Are you quite done? And by the way _forthwith_? You really should look up that word, Alex. I don’t think it means what you think it means.”

“Do not quote _The_ _Princess Bride_ at me when I’m angry with you. Especially not when you’re going to _misquote_ it.”

“Sorry,”

Alex sighed. “Then let’s get real for a second. What you did was dangerous. If Willie hadn’t been in the club yesterday, there would have been no way for me to find you. And that was pure chance.”

“I know Alex.”

“You would have been on your own. The vampires would have _killed_ you. _Both_ of you.”

“I know Alex.”

“I can’t lose you. Either one of you.” 

“I--”

“Even if your own life means so little to you, I can assure you that it means a lot to me. And to Reggie. You’re not a fucking island Luke. What you do _matters_. Throwing away your life affects us. Don’t you dare do that again!”

“That’s not what happened. I didn’t know that was Caleb’s plan.”

“Really Luke. Are you sure? Because it seemed pretty obvious to me and I haven’t even met him yet.”

Luke didn’t know what to say to that so he opted to remain silent.

With another sigh, Alex stood up. “I’m going to check on Reggie. But we’re not done here.” 

* * *

“How is he?” Luke looked up from his laptop as Alex came back down the stairs.

“Still asleep. I kind of expected him to be up by now. He’s slept through the entire night.”

“It’s been quite the ordeal.”

“Even so--”

“So, there was something else you wanted to discuss?”

“Reggie.” Alex came over and sat back down next to Luke.

“I figured as much.” Luke nodded. “What about him?”

“This isn’t actually just about him,” Alex replied which earned him a questioning look from Luke.

“Something’s been bothering me for a while now but I just wasn’t sure how to ask. But after what happened yesterday I think it’s important that we talk about it-- you are aware of Reggie’s feelings for you, right?”

“His feelings?” Luke asked, obviously trying to evade the question but Alex shot him a pointed look.

“You know he’s in love with you.”

Luke sighed deeply, then nodded. 

“And you don’t feel the same way about him?”

“It’s complicated--” 

“Not from where I stand. Do you or don’t you?” 

“Listen, Alex. It’s not as easy as all that. You saw what those vampires did to him. Do you have any idea how much more of a target Reggie would become if I chose to pursue a relationship with him. I might as well paint a bullseye on his back and send him off into the wild. They will hunt him down.”

“Seems to me they’re already doing that anyway.” Alex shrugged.

“Not like this. A romantic relationship between a werewolf and a vampire-- that just doesn’t happen. And for good reason. It would be deadly for the both of us.”

“So you’d rather he continue pining for you. And so, by the way, you for him? I just don’t get it. To hell with your kind and his, it’s your guys’ life. You should be doing what _you_ think is right.” 

Alex hated how complicated this was. And he did not fully understand Luke’s reservations. They’d nearly lost both of them last night. He’d expected, if anything, that it would make Luke realize that he had no time to lose. But it seemed the opposite was the case. 

“So what exactly is your plan?” Alex asked, feeling slightly exasperated. 

“He’ll grow out of his infatuation, eventually.”

Alex rolled his eyes at that. “He’s not a child you know. And from what I can see this isn’t just a crush anymore. Hasn’t been for a long time.” 

“Don’t you think I know all that.” Luke replied more heatedly now. “He asked me to kill him yesterday. Would have given his own life for mine. Do you have any idea how that felt? I couldn’t live with myself if I ever did anything to hurt him. And if we take this further, believe me it’s not a question of _if_ but _when_.” 

Luke’s outburst shocked Alex into silence. He hadn’t realized how scared Luke was. And for once he had no answer for him. Alex was at his wit’s end. 

“Will you at least talk to him about it? Shouldn’t this be his decision as well?”

Luke didn’t respond and they sat in silence for a while. Each one preoccupied with their own dark thoughts.

* * *

Reggie woke with a start. It was dark and for a moment he was completely disoriented. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom in the room he took in his surroundings and realized that he was lying in his own bed. What had happened? Where was Luke? Suddenly it all came rushing back to him. The events of that day _and night_ . The cage, the transformation. How long ago had that been? The last thing he could remember was Luke’s horrified expression. Then the wolf had taken over. _Luke_. Tears welled up in his eyes. He was here but that could only mean one thing- he had killed his best friend. As the full weight of the realization came crashing down on him, he began to sob uncontrollably. How was he supposed to live with this guilt? Suddenly the door flew open. Alex stood in the doorway.

“I killed him. I killed him.” Reggie was rocking back and forth now, unable to stop. He felt the sensation of hands being wrapped around him.

“No,” Alex spoke into his ear, softly. “Listen to me Reggie. No you didn’t.” 

A second set of hands joined the embrace.

“I’m so sorry Reg! I didn’t realize you wouldn’t be able to remember. I’m here, okay? You saved me.” Reggie looked up at the sound of Luke’s voice. He couldn’t believe it. How was that possible? How had they both made it out of there alive? Immense relief flooded his brain and he buried himself in his best friends’ arms.

* * *

The following day Reggie came down to breakfast with a worried expression on his face. 

“I need to know. What happened to the others? The werewolves in those cages?”

Luke looked at him. “You really can’t remember anything? Not even vaguely?”

When Reggie shook his head Luke continued. “I guess that should have been expected. You’re not really _you_ when you transform. Just thought it might have been different this time--”

Reggie stared at him questioningly but Luke did not elaborate. Instead he chose to answer Reggie’s more pressing question. “We saved them. All of them. Opened the cages once they had turned back into humans and helped them escape.”

“One of my students was captured. Do you know if she’s alright?” 

“Julie Molina? Yeah, she’s fine. We actually drove her home.” 

“And how was she? That night must have been traumatic for her.”

“She seemed fine--”

“I better make sure she’s alright. I shouldn’t have waited this long.”

“You were out of commission. It’s not your fault.”

But Reggie didn’t seem to be convinced and Luke’s heart broke for him. Reggie carried so much weight on his shoulders and he tended to feel responsible even for those things that were beyond his control. 

“May I borrow your phone? I have a class list. Should have her emergency contact on it.”

“Sure!” Luke handed it over and Reggie walked to the kitchen and closed the door behind him. 

Luke waited. After a while Reggie returned and nodded, visibly relieved.

“I spoke to her dad. She’s alright. Not sure how much he knows so I kept it vague. I should really talk to her soon. See if she’s okay. I hope she is.”

“I’m sure she will be. And so will you.” Luke said softly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Reggie avoided his eyes. “Maybe, eventually. Not right now though, okay? I just-- I want to forget that it ever happened.” And with that Reggie turned on his heels and left the room without another word. 

Luke stared after him. He so wished that he could support him in some way. But for now all he could do was give Reggie time.

* * *

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to give you a visual of what Charlie looks like ;) 
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Westfalia_Camper (similar to the one in the first photography).
> 
> https://images.app.goo.gl/FsyjuRM4CJHrhPBp6


	14. Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, the final chapter. :D I really hope you guys enjoy this part and find the conclusion to my little story satisfying. That said, I may already have some plans for a sequel as there are things that I'd like to explore further. I'm also thinking about posting a few oneshots that are set in this universe. We'll see.
> 
> If you've enjoyed this AU and would be interested in reading more it would be wonderful if you could let me know in the comments. :) 
> 
> Thank you for reading. And now on with the story...

* * *

## Chapter 13: Choices

Three days had passed and Reggie was back to school. Luke and Alex had tried to talk him into taking a few additional days off but Reggie had declined. He did feel nervous about being back here, given what had happened. But he also knew that he had to get back to work sooner rather than later or else it would only become more difficult to finally return to normalcy. And he still needed to talk to Julie to find out how she was handling things. Why did the girl have to get caught up in all of this? It was all his fault. 

He’d planned to ask her to stay behind after class but as the students filed out of the classroom he realized that it wasn’t necessary. Julie had not gotten up out of her chair, clearly waiting for everyone else to leave. When her friend Flynn approached her she just whispered something in her ear then pointed in Reggie’s direction. Flynn nodded then left as well with a quick glance and a smile in his direction.

When everyone but them had left the room Julie got up from her chair and approached him slowly. “Hey Mr. Barnes.”

“Hey Julie. How-- how are you doing?” 

“I’m alright, actually.” She gave him a small smile. “My dad wants to talk to you. I thought you could walk me home. It’s not too far. If you have time right now?”

Reggie nodded. This wasn’t exactly how he’d expected this conversation to go. But if Julie’s dad needed him to provide some answers it was only fair that Reggie complied. This was his mess to clean up.

* * *

They walked in silence for a while. Reggie was still trying to go over everything that he knew from that night. Unfortunately, _or rather luckily_ , it wasn’t much. The last thing he did remember vividly was his exchange with Luke in the cage. The rest was blank until he had woken up in his bed almost a day later. Then a thought crossed his mind. He should probably figure out how much Julie’s father knew _before_ they had a conversation.

“So Julie...” Reggie stopped in his tracks and waited until he had her attention. “What exactly did you tell your father?”

“Everything.” 

Upon seeing his surprised face Julie chuckled. “I should probably have told you before. My father is a werewolf. So is my brother. But they weren’t with me that night. My father wants to thank you for saving me-”

“I didn’t really do anything.” Reggie interrupted, feeling a pang of guilt. “If he wants to thank anyone it should be my friends.”

“The vampire and the ghosts.” Julie nodded. “That was a little unexpected. But I disagree. You were the one who insisted on staying to get us all out.”

Reggie stared at her with a puzzled expression and Julie’s smile turned into a frown. “You don’t remember?”

“Of course not. I wasn’t really there. It was just the wolf.” 

Julie’s frown deepened. She looked like she was about to argue that point but then apparently thought better of it. “You should talk to my dad. He’ll be able to explain it much better than I could.” 

“Incidentally what was it that you wanted to talk to me about? That day, I mean.” _When we were abducted and almost killed_ was left unsaid.

“Several things.” Julie responded. “I had told my dad about you and he wanted to meet you. And, well I had a premonition. I knew you were in danger so I wanted to warn you.”

“A _premonition_? Is that something that we can do?”

“It’s not a werewolf thing,” Julie replied, chuckling quietly. “But that’s not all I am.” 

She didn’t elaborate further and they continued walking without another word spoken.

* * *

As they approached the house Julie turned to Reggie. 

“I won’t be joining you and my dad. I actually have a phone call with my girlfriend. But don’t worry. Dad is nice.” She gave him a reassuring smile then headed down the path that veered off towards the right and let to the back of the house. 

Reggie stared after her until she was out of sight. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, then knocked on the front door. After a few minutes of silence the door was opened. A middle-aged man stood in the doorway. If Reggie had to guess he’d assume him to be in his late 40s, early 50s. A large chunk of his hair had already turned grey. The man smiled at him and Reggie felt another sense of familiarity and an instant connection. Perhaps that was all part of the werewolf deal? After all he had felt something similar in Julie’s presence. And before her Reggie had never met another one of his kind. Well, except for the one who had turned him in the first place. Not that they had been formally introduced. 

“Hi, I’m Ray Molina. You’re Reginald Barnes?” Julie’s dad offered his hand and Reggie shook it. 

“Yes, but please call me Reggie.”

Ray motioned for him to come inside and sit down at the dining room table. Once they had been seated Ray spoke up again. 

"Can I offer you anything? A coffee maybe?"

"No thank you." 

“To be honest I was expecting someone slightly older. You look like you’re barely out of high school yourself. How old are you exactly?”

“I’m Twenty-six.” 

“And, if I may ask, how long have you been a werewolf.”

“About two years now.” Reggie answered slowly, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the direction in which the conversation was headed. Perhaps it was time to get to the point. “Listen. Mr. Molina-”

“Just call me Ray, please.”

“I’m so sorry for what happened to Julie-”

Ray put up his hand to stop him. “This isn’t your fault. It’s the danger we’re all in, as long as there are vampires about.”

“You don’t quite understand. I believe they came to the school looking for me. If I hadn’t been there they would never have taken Julie.”

But Ray just shook his head. “You couldn’t have known. I don’t blame you in the slightest. In fact I’m immensely grateful for what you did.”

“But that’s just it. I didn’t do anything. I wasn’t able to. My friends got us out.”

Ray studied him with a discerning look on his face. “How much do you remember of the time when you’re in wolf shape?”

“None of it. It’s not really me after all. Just the creature-”

“Is that what you think?” Ray interrupted, thoughtfully. “Interesting. I suppose that’s not entirely wrong. But it’s not the whole truth either. There’s much more to our kind than you understand. That’s actually why I asked Julie to bring you here. I have a proposition for you.”

All this was completely the opposite of what he’d been expecting and Reggie found himself once again at a loss for words. What exactly had Julie’s dad meant to discuss with him if this wasn’t about his part in the abduction or what happened afterwards? 

“As I said you saved my daughter and I am grateful. I wasn’t entirely sure before today but now that I’ve met you I am convinced that this is the right call.” Ray took a deep breath and levelled his gaze at Reggie. “I want you to join our pack, Reggie. There’s a lot you need to know about the werewolf inside of you. And we can help you to figure it all out. You need us and to be honest we need you too. Our kind needs to stick together. It’s the only way to stay alive.”

“That’s very kind of you but you don’t really know me at all.”

“There’s a connection between werewolves. You might have felt it before. A kinship if you like. It’s not uncommon for us to find shelter in a pack. And from what I’ve heard from Julie you are on your own.”

“Well, I have friends..”

“That’s not what I meant, Reggie. You need to know more about the werewolf part of you. The ways that our condition can be controlled and improved. And with so many vampires around these parts you’d be much safer with us. Rumor has it that the vampire cult in L.A. has increased in numbers. That’s why their efforts to drive us out have increased over the past few months.”

“I guess they do have the better sales pitch. Eternal youth and superhuman strenth. Certainly beats losing your mind and suffering unimaginable pain every full moon–" Reggie replied with an ill-fated attempt at levity. 

“We’re not recruiting Reggie.” Ray interrupted, his eyebrows knit into a frown. He was clearly not amused by the suggestion. “I mean there are some of our kind that do and that’s _monstrous_. I wouldn’t wish the curse on anyone. Would have loved to spare my kids the pain if I had any choice in the matter. What I’m offering you is a chance to live with it. To regain some degree of control. To fight for your humanity.” 

“What about my friend? The vampire?” Reggie asked hesitantly. Somehow he knew that his friendship with Luke would be the bigger issue for Ray. From everything he’d heard so far ghosts and werewolves did get along just fine. 

Ray nodded. “Julie told me about him. It’s an unusual situation to put it mildly. But no, Reggie. I wouldn’t want him around even if I _did_ trust him. Which I do not and never will. This invitation is for you, and you only. If you want to join our pack you have to sever all ties with him. I’m sorry. But this is my final word on that. I can’t put my family in any more danger. I hope you understand.” There was pity in his expression. 

“But he’s been protecting me. I owe him everything. And he has helped me manage the curse. To the degree that that’s even possible.”

“Maybe he’s been lying to you. Have you ever considered that possibility? That he has kept you in the dark _intentionally_ about the ways that the werewolf can be controlled? Perhaps you’re not even his friend. Just his _pet_.”

“He was ready to give up his life for me!” Reggie replied, forcefully. 

“Well, I won’t argue that it’s impossible.” Ray put up his hands placatingly. “Vampire-werewolf friendships are not completely unheard of. Vamps do like to feel human from time to time. Like to pretend that they can be more than the monsters they are. But it never lasts long and it rarely ends well. If your friend truly cares about you Reggie, he will want this for you. A pack is where you belong. You will be safe with us.” 

Ray fell silent and Reggie stared at him, considering everything that he had just heard. There was no way Luke had lied to him. Maybe his friend didn’t know everything there was about the werewolf curse but he had tried to keep Reggie safe. Could Reggie really leave him behind after everything that Luke had done for him? And did he even want to? Luke was his best friend. The person he felt closest to in the world. And yet Ray’s proposal was tempting. _Very tempting_. 

“Thank you for the offer. But I need to think about it.”

“Of course. Take your time. You know where to find me if you have any more questions.”

* * *

When Reggie left the Molina house he was deep in thought. On the one hand the offer was everything he ever wanted. A real family. A chance to control the wolf, to live a normal life. On the other hand he already had so much of that with Luke and Alex. And he couldn’t bear to leave them behind. Couldn’t imagine a life without Luke. As he slowly walked down the street he heard someone approaching behind him. He turned to see that it was Julie.

“Wait up a second!” she called after him so Reggie stopped and let her catch up. She was slightly short-winded so Reggie waited patiently until she had regained her breath. He was wondering what exactly she wanted to discuss with him.

“Listen,” Julie began. “I think my father is wrong. About Luke, I mean. I think that he does care about you. Truly.” 

Reggie raised his eyebrow at her. _How did she know Luke’s name?_ “Have you been listening in?”

“No--yeah, yeah I did. Just for the last bit,” she replied, blushing slightly. “There’s a back entrance to the house. When I came in I overheard you two. I’m sorry, if I overstepped. I didn’t mean to. It just sort of happened.”  
Reggie smiled at her. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

“The thing is,” Julie continued, “my dad’s mind is made up for now but maybe that doesn’t have to be the end? I’ll try to convince him. He just hates vampires. And for good reason. They killed my mom..” her eyes shone with unshed tears and Reggie felt completely out of his depth. He really wasn’t an expert on how to console teenage girls.

“Julie,” Reggie interjected, kindly. “You don’t have to tell me all of that. I understand your father’s position. He has a point and I will respect his wishes.”

She looked at him. Tears were streaming down her face and Reggie reached out and pulled her into a hug. “Will you be alright? Do you want me to walk you home?”

Julie took a deep breath and shook her head, then stepped back from the embrace. “No, I’m fine. Just, whatever you decide. I’ll understand and I’ll support it, okay?”

He nodded and Julie gave him a small smile, then turned around and headed back the way she had come, leaving Reggie to stare after her, still unable to figure out what he should do. It seemed like either way he would end up losing something. He knew he _loved_ Luke. Perhaps it was time to finally figure out how his friend felt about him. 

* * *

Once he was back, Reggie followed his first impulse and told Luke about his conversation with Ray Molina. Luke sat on the bed listening quietly. Finally, after spending the better part of half an hour gushing about how much Ray knew about the werewolf curse and how much Reggie might be able to learn from him, he came to the difficult part. 

“Julie’s dad asked me to join their pack.”

“That’s nice.” Luke’s tone was neutral. His face showed no emotion.

“There’s a catch though. I can’t ever see you again.” As Reggie said the words he studied his friend’s face for any reaction. But Luke’s expression remained carefully blank. “So,” Reggie continued. “Should I take the offer?” 

“If you want to.” Luke shrugged.

That answer hit Reggie like a ton of bricks. Was that really how Luke felt about him? Completely indifferent? It couldn’t be. He’d seen his face when they had been locked together in the cage. Luke had basically given up his own life for him. So whatever this was it wasn’t because Luke didn’t care. 

“Fine, I guess I will. It was nice knowing you.” Reggie shrugged, turned and left the room. 

Once he was outside he took a deep breath. He felt enraged. If that was what Luke wanted then so be it. As he descended the stairs he saw Alex sitting in his usual spot on the couch. When the ghost noticed Reggie, he looked up and shot him a worried look. 

And once again doubt crept in. Could Reggie really leave them both behind? He hardly could ask Alex to choose between them and Ray’s offer had really only included himself, none of his friends. 

He sighed and sat back down on the steps, resting his head in his hands. Suddenly he felt a presence beside him. Reggie looked up and saw that Alex had settled down next to him. His friend reached over and rubbed his back in slow soothing circles. 

“I don’t understand.” Reggie said with a slight quiver in his voice. “I thought he felt the same way.” Alex looked at him, still continuing to rub his back slowly. 

“It’s not really my place to say...” his friend began but then stopped mid-sentence. A look of resolve crossed Alex’s face, tinged with a hint of anger. “Ah to hell with it! I can assure you, he does.”

“Then why..?”

“He’s just afraid. Thinks that you’ll be in even greater danger if you two are together.”

As realization dawned, Reggie’s own temper flared up again. “Who the hell does he think I am? A child? He doesn’t need to protect me from the big bad world.”

“He just doesn’t want to hurt you.”

“Well if that’s the case he’s fucking that up, big time.” And before Alex could stop him, Reggie jumped up, turned on the spot and rushed back to the first floor to give Luke a piece of his mind.

* * *

Once upstairs Reggie walked briskly to Luke’s room and peered inside to see that the vampire had not moved from his spot on the bed. Luke’s hands were covering his face, his body was shaking and Reggie realized in dismay that he was crying. He rushed over to his friend and embraced him. His anger and disappointment were completely forgotten.

“I’m sorry.” Reggie whispered. Luke’s arms came up behind him. He pulled his friend closer and buried his face in Reggie’s flannel shirt. 

They stayed like this for a while until Luke finally regained his composure and extracted himself from Reggie’s hold. He was about to say something but Reggie put his finger to Luke’s lips, effectively silencing him. 

“No,” he said sternly. “I think it’s time you listened to me. I know exactly what this is. And I’m telling you it’s bullshit.” Luke wanted to reply but Reggie shushed him. “Nope, I’m talking and you will listen. I’ve had it with your _oh woe is me I shall be alone and suffering for all eternity-_ nonsense.”

Luke’s eyebrows knitted into a frown and he stared at Reggie with indignation.

But Reggie would have none of it. “Yeah, I know you’re scared about your vampire side. That you might hurt me. So what, I’m scared too. I mean I nearly killed you a few days ago. You don’t think that’s going to stop me, do you? Because the fact is I _didn’t_ kill you. And you didn’t hurt me either. And we don’t need to think about all the _what ifs_. Truth is we don’t know what will happen. But I’m ready to give us a chance and I hope you are too.” 

Luke gaped at him. Reggie’s outburst had rendered him completely speechless. 

Reggie sighed. “I’m done tiptoeing around this. Unlike you I don’t have eternity, you know. And I’d rather spend the time that I do have with you. Being safe is really not all it’s cracked up to be.” Reggie winked at his friend but Luke was still staring at him with the same dumbfounded expression on his face. 

So Reggie’s impulsiveness kicked in once again, as it always did. He cupped Luke’s face in his hands, lowered his head and pressed their lips together softly. 

Suddenly he felt Luke’s hands on his hips. The vampire took hold of Reggie and in one swift motion deposited him on the bed. He found himself flat on his back, slightly dizzy and out of breath with Luke now on top of him. Euphoria washed over Reggie as Luke leaned in and captured his mouth in another, much more passionate kiss. 

Far too soon Luke broke the contact, his lips curled up in a wicked smile. “Well, I guess if you’d like to live dangerously that can be arranged.” 

* * *

Unbeknownst to Reggie, Alex had followed him upstairs. Just in case an intervention was required. But to his great relief his idiot friends had finally figured things out. And if Luke’s fears were justified? Well, they would deal with whatever tried to come after them. As long as they were together. Which reminded him. He really needed to find his own boyfriend. And make him an offer he would hopefully not be able to refuse. 

A smile crossed Alex’s face. Time to make this trio a quartet. 

* * *

  
  



	15. Artwork by Allarica

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot has happened this year. Most of it not so great but one thing that I will always be grateful for is getting sucked into the Julie and the Phantoms fandom and writing fan fiction for the first time in my life.
> 
> Since this particular story has meant so much to me I went ahead and commissioned a piece of art for one of my favorite scenes.

**Artwork was done by Allarica. You can find this amazing artist**

**[Here](https://allarica.tumblr.com)  
** **[And here](https://www.instagram.com/allarica/)**

**Please show them some love!**

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Bitten](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27760564) by [Lini_98](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lini_98/pseuds/Lini_98)




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